things began to take on the characteristics of the counterculture movement of the 1960’s. ” “In 1965, when large amounts of easily available acid hit the streets of US cities, American society was a powder key ready to explode. The combination of the Vietnam war, the assignation of Malcolm X, the race riots in Watts and other cities, and the volatile mood on US college campuses, all contributed to the general ferment.” “Society was becoming increasingly radicalized and many young people felt completely disillusioned with their government and society in general. They sought to distance themselves from the status quo and to distinguish themselves as revolutionaries in as many ways as possible. Hallucinogenic drugs were the perfect things to help define their defiant and alternative life style.” “As Leary declared, it was time to “Turn on, tune in, and drop out.” Drop out was what young people wanted to do; they certainly didn’t want to actively participate in the society in which they found themselves.” “The Haight-Ashbury area of San Francisco became the crucible where all these elements came together, and the mass drug culture movement really got going.” “To understand the tenor of the times, it is very revealing to watch …” “The mass use of acid by elements of the counterculture now spread incredibly rapidly, and by 1966 the US government realized it would have to step in.” “The government and their allies in the press mounted a smear campaign blaming LSD for everything from psychotic behaviour in young people to chromosomal damage, and whipped the general public into a frenzy.” “The use of LSD in the United States peaked in the late 1960s around the time of the great “love-in” rock concert at Woodstock in 1969. However, the use of hallucinogens has not gone away, and mushrooms in particular have recently undergone a new surge of popularity.” “…LSD, psilocybin, DMT, and mescaline, are those which produce similar types of effects and are generally considered to be the “classical” hallucinogens.”
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1965 America – setting the scene for the drug revolution
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1965 America – setting the scene for the drug revolution - youths
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Timothy Leary and youth counterculture
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Haight-Ashbury – San Francisco, where things really started
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1967 Dragnet episode called “Blue Boy” – watch, research and contextualize US government measures
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US government propaganda efforts
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Peak of US LSD use
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What is classed as classical hallucinogens