2013
A stylish, in-depth look at the renaissance in psychedelic drug research in light of current scientific, medical, and cultural knowledge.
85 min
CLEAR ALL
LSD, or lysergic acid diethylamide, is a synthetic drug with potent psychedelic properties. Commonly known as acid, it was originally derived from compounds found in ergot, a fungus that grows on rye.
Psychedelic drugs are making a quiet comeback, as a smattering of recent studies have demonstrated their medicinal potential. The latest finding suggests it is time to revisit LSD as a treatment for addiction.
In the 1950s a group of pioneering psychiatrists showed that hallucinogenic drugs had therapeutic potential, but the research was halted as part of the backlash against the hippy counterculture.
The drug lowers brain barriers, allowing distant regions to talk and thoughts to flow more freely.
A well-kept American secret is that the CIA-funded research that exploited incarcerated Black Americans along with other vulnerable groups in America’s hunt for a “mind-control” drug.
Natalie Ginsberg, MAPS Policy and Advocacy Manager will interview Rick Doblin, Ph.D.
1
Psychedelic drugs: a dangerous and illegal scourge; a harmless way to “turn on, tune in, drop out” – or a valuable treatment for mental illness? Research is showing that substances like MDMA and magic mushrooms, long banished to society’s fringes, are proving effective in treating...
The Varieties of Psychedelic Experience was published in 1966, just as the first legal restrictions on the use of psychedelic substances were being enacted.
2
A new review of studies finds that LSD, psilocybin, and MDMA hold potential for treating mental illness.
It seems that psychedelics do more than simply alter perception. According to the latest research from my colleagues and me, they change the structures of neurons themselves.