Albert Hofmann discovers the effects of LSD (1943)

LSD amplifies beliefs and makes the user highly receptive to external ideas. Before the concept of a "bad trip" and the idea that LSD is "dangerous" became common, very negative experiences on LSD were anecdotally not frequent. In fact, most people do not have a bad first trip for similar reasons, as they don't know what to expect and aren't familiar with the sensations, and thus do not try to control them, getting into a pilot induced oscillation, further amplified by the fear of going into the dreaded bad trip that they've heard so much about. I suspect that Hofmann's experience was not so bad.

> combat these feelings by the comforting information that LSD is a widely used, and well studied chemical

When you are in the thick of it you are most certainly not taking comfort in the fact that the LSD (you mostly likely purchased on the street) is a widely used and well studied chemical ;-)

In the past I went into the woods with nothing; later I brought a wrist watch. Being able to know roughly how long until the peak helped to ground me more than anything else. Of course, if you can't even read your watch, then all bets are off, as was the case with Hofmann when he took, completely out of any context (as you point out) for his first trip, a dose @ equivalent to 4 tabs of blotter, and lab pure to boot, yikes o_O

OT, but drinking 2 liters of milk to fend off the demons, hah, that made me chuckle.

> It's probably due to the reckless behaviour of early users that LSD got such a bad rap and banned so hard. Not that they should have had to been responsible -- they shouldn't be blamed for stupid government actions -- it's just an unfortunate thing. And early proponents weren't very rigorous and came up with fantastical claims, greatly exaggerating LSD's capabilities.

This had very little to do with reckless behaviour of early users. I think it's generally well known at this point - that the "war-on-drugs" had primarily political purposes, especially suppressing the counter-culture.

More generally it's a war of ideas; the idea that there was a reality or conception of the world outside of say contemporary Christianity and material consumer society - were highly threatening at the time (to the nation's well-being if you will); and they remain so today (and this has much less to do with LSD and psychedelics and much more with preserving a power-structure).

And I don't think a few studies of scientific merit would have helped. Just look at how it went down with http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Nutt.

LSD could have many therapeutic applications - especially for challenging existing doctrines and with managing addictions. But the government probably didn't want people to be freed of these mindsets.

The CIA immediately started testing it as a mind control substance and an adjunct to torture. They conducted thousands of cruel experiments, most of them without the consent of the experimentee's, usually on prisoners and people in mental institutions. I wouldn't put all the blame on Leary and other harmless eccentrics.

Media would have me believe that it can be abundant in some places. Never for me where I live though.

I must say that in my case I didn't find LSD, it found me.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you keep a certain type of company you will increase your chances of running into a good connect for LSD.

So from that perspective, I believe LSD finds many of its users in a very organic way. Call them hipsters, outsiders, whatever, they are people who believe in a moral code but not necessarily the code of laws presented by their government. People with these views tend to congregate together so sooner or later you find someone who has grown pot, mushrooms or even knows how to get LSD.

But it's important to point out that this is not always the case. I've also seen teenagers treat DMT like it was a friday night beer, and young people using LSD to be more like a fictional character portrayed by Johnny Depp and Bill Murray.

Those types definitely chase the substance, they're lucky to get it, and they're even more lucky to keep it or stay out of jail with it.

I was not talking about them, the ones I'm thinking about are the ones who don't chase the substance, but get it anyway. The substance appears to find them.

And there's little point in trying to be someone you're not only to fit in with a group you believe would fit that first description. Then you're just one of the many people chasing a substance that does not want to be found.

Do you have any friends who smoke weed? Ask them and I'm sure you'll be able to find it.