History of psychedelic drugs: A Canadian perspective

[TheBlackPirate]

http://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/high-culture-part-1-1.3280226

 

[TheBlackPirate]

CBC Radio produces good material. I am glad they are inculcating the history of psychedelics honestly. They also produced podcasts reviewing the therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs. They were refreshingly accurate. These are the free downloads of those shows.

High Culture Part 1

High Culture Part 2

High Culture Part 3

 

[perpetualdawn]

This is a great series, recommended!

(CBC Ideas is recommended in general as well)

 

[my3rdeye]

I didn't get a chance to listen to that. One big factor that lead to LSD crackdown in Canada was the now mostly forgotten death of Benji Hayward in 1988. Before his death buying LSD in downtown Toronto streets was quite easy, his death led to a huge crackdown on street sales of acid. It even helped contribute to the death of Yonge St as a mini Times Square, the porn shops and head shops and massage parlors gave way to gentrification. It's amazing that one single death from misadventure was exploited by the media and government and law enforcement and downtown business interests so effectively. In the time it took to hold inquest into his death something like 90 young people died in alcohol related mishaps. I don't think there will be legal psychedelics in Canada any time soon.

 

[perpetualdawn]

I've not heard this story of benji Hayward. Will have to look it up.

I don't think there will be legal psychedelics in Canada any time soon.

Say what? I mean, there's a lot of psychedelics that aren't *illegal* in Canada at least.

 

[TheBlackPirate]

I didn't get a chance to listen to that. One big factor that lead to LSD crackdown in Canada was the now mostly forgotten death of Benji Hayward in 1988.

The podcast mentions the similar incident in the United States involving Art Linkletter's daughter as an influential incident in recent times.

Modern Western societies have trends of the the government and media sensationalizing situations involving drugs. I notice this negative propagandizing exaggerating the negatives of psychedelics now also. Often LSD wasn't involved in the sensationalized events and/or LSD didn't cause these events. Alcohol and cannabis have similar stories.

Recently I have thought creating a brief article discussing this trend is necessary. Ample evidence proving this habitual disinformation exists. I haven't decided if this is necessary yet. I am thinking about it.

I don't think there will be legal psychedelics in Canada any time soon.

Some people place cannabis in the psychedelic category. Canada is in the process of fully legalizing the recreational use of cannabis. I presume clinical research is inevitable. Also Canada is involved in ongoing clinical research of MDMA in the treatment of PTSD. They are loosening restrictions there.

 

[TheBlackPirate]

Good link. I also enjoyed Erika Dyck's description of the benefits alcoholics experienced from LSD in the podcasts linked above. Those are excellent podcasts I am glad I listened to.