Timothy Leary and the spread of LSD/psychedelics

[subdefy]

Do you believe that without Timothy Leary LSD would have spread or become nearly as wide spread and embedded in the collective consciousness of society (whether for good or bad)? I hear alot of people rag on Timothy Leary for his "Tune on, turn in and drop out" motto but without a doubt he brought many people profound realizations that may or may not have been realized without those substances. Is the demonization/stigmatization of him really entirely justified?

 

[Energysausage]

Hard to say really, I mean I'm no expert on the subject but he certainly brought LSD and to a lesser extent, other psychs (or really mind expansion in general) to wider attention. On the same token though, there were plenty of others who did the same or similar things, the Beatles and most musicians of the 60s/70s for example. Timothy wasn't a bad guy like the government tried to make people believe, he wasn't a hero or pioneer either though. Just a dude who thought he'd found the answer to enlightenment and success. His scientific methods were pretty suspect too from what I've heard.

 

[NerdOnDrugs]

Without Leary... u could argue LSD would have been promoted more pragmatically and wouldn't have been fucked in the ear by the govt so soon.

But really... LSD sells itself. If the drug had a more humble spokesman like maybe even Shulgin or someone not as self-promoting as Leary.. it could have been better for the whole psych movement.

 

[neversickanymore]

I think Timothy Leary, the merry pranksters, and the grateful dead are almost the entire reason LSD is widely known and used.

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[bluespeed]

...

But really... LSD sells itself. If the drug had a more humble spokesman like maybe even Shulgin or someone not as self-promoting as Leary.. it could have been better for the whole psych movement.

Well why didn't those more humble people just go ahead and speak? They didn't care or were too scared, unlike Leary. It's pointless to theoretize about who could do better IF, fact is, nobody did better than Leary for LSD (save mr. Hofmann).

 

[NerdOnDrugs]

Well why didn't those more humble people just go ahead and speak? They didn't care or were too scared, unlike Leary. It's pointless to theoretize about who could do better IF, fact is, nobody did better than Leary for LSD (save mr. Hofmann).

Leary and the hippie movement took all the oxygen out of the room to talk about psychedelics in any other context.

LSD will prob be forever looked at by wider society as a freaky goofy hippie thing. It's a serious chemical with potential we haven't yet begun to explore in a scientific setting in part thanks to Leary. As far as him spreading its use to a bunch of young middle class kids, he did a service.

 

[NerdOnDrugs]

I think Timothy Leary, the merry pranksters, and the grateful dead are almost the entire reason LSD is widely known and used.

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I love all that nostalgia too... but u gotta remember, good LSD is pretty hard for even a well connected stoner to get since its proponents promoted it so blatently.

 

[neversickanymore]

The reason LSD is so illegal and looked down upon by the government is because it allows you to see through the techniques that have been used by the people in power to make us do what they want. It causes you to see that the consumerism and war driven society that they run is really really lame and if everybody was able to see this they may lose their strangle hold. LSD lets you see the devil, though you may be surprised at where he is.,

I'm pretty sure when Keasy threw the acid tests where the pranksters pranked and The Dead provided the music anyone was allowed to attend.. as taking LSD breaks down social and racial barriers.. also I would bet my last stack that millions and millions of people had their first trip at a dead show or on acid that came through that pipeline.. the dead shows where in some fashion just a continuation of the acid tests.. and think of how many people dosed in those thirty years.. yeah mind blowing and it all started with keasy. A great book if you all havent read it >The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test<

and why wouldn't they have promoted it in such a way? it was legal when they started doing it.. and nerd acid doesn't really make you wana fall in line and behave like they tell ya does it


doses kind grilled cheese doses kind veggie pitas doses

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[laugh]

agree

 

[my3rdeye]

The reason LSD is so illegal and looked down upon by the government is because it allows you to see through the techniques that have been used by the people in power to make us do what they want. It causes you to see that the consumerism and war driven society that they run is really really lame and if everybody was able to see this they may lose their strangle hold. LSD lets you see the devil, though you may be surprised at where he is.,

Capitalism seems totally absurd on LSD. Being a slave for a car and a suburban cookie cutter house, it always seems so pointless and silly when I am tripping. LSD didn't make me a communist or any of the stuff the government fears, but boy do I see thru all their BS on it. I guess they should fear it's power. I totally understand the drive the start a hippie commune on it, do something different. It's no wonder people see LSD as a threat to religion (maybe organized but IMO religions should embrace this mystical substance) or the nuclear family or education or government. It's use just opens you up to radically changing the system.
As for Leary I have mixed feelings. Yes he helped make it more popular but the guy was a clown. He gave off this creepy older guy vibe too. LSD will always be attached to hippies in the popular mind even though it's been used by pretty much every subculture. And giving LSD to kids is something even the Manson Family didn't do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQQJfoRzefM

 

[neversickanymore]

I think what Leary lacked was carisma..

Grateful Dead "China Cat Sunflower this video has some good footage of the crowd at a show trippen out.

 

[subdefy]

Capitalism seems totally absurd on LSD. Being a slave for a car and a suburban cookie cutter house, it always seems so pointless and silly when I am tripping. LSD didn't make me a communist or any of the stuff the government fears, but boy do I see thru all their BS on it. I guess they should fear it's power. I totally understand the drive the start a hippie commune on it, do something different. It's no wonder people see LSD as a threat to religion (maybe organized but IMO religions should embrace this mystical substance) or the nuclear family or education or government. It's use just opens you up to radically changing the system.
As for Leary I have mixed feelings. Yes he helped make it more popular but the guy was a clown. He gave off this creepy older guy vibe too. LSD will always be attached to hippies in the popular mind even though it's been used by pretty much every subculture. And giving LSD to kids is something even the Manson Family didn't do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQQJfoRzefM

Can I get an Amen? I agree with you. Psychedelics show you just how obsessed the "powers that be" use control, fear and manipulation ie the computer maxim FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt). They are trying to enslave us into a consumeristic materialistic bondage to keep us bound to samsara. I am beginning to suspect that the devil/Satan/Iblis is actually real and has manifestations throughout the world in the forms of ideologies.

Fuck the government. Drugs should be legal. Privacy is essential. If there is a new world order (and I remain skeptical of "conspiracy theories" [conspiracy theory the word itself is a neo-Marxist buzzword used to silence opposition to the people who know what's REALLY going on] because conspiracy theories tend to employ the liberal use of LOGICAL FALLACIES). I've studied logical fallacies and conspiracy theories extensively. I would if I wanted to blow up my ego, call myself an expert.

Being humble is not always good. Cocaine is fun. I like my ego. Fuck you Buddhist monks.

I'm personally still ambivalent about Leary. I've read his book "High Priest" and thought he was solely responsible for the reason LSD is illegal and should be shunned, condemned and hated for stifling real psychedelic research (Rick Doblin of MAPS complains about this, ie Timothy Leary's "ghost" haunting the public consciousness when coming to anything related to LSD research). But now I am beginning to revise that view. I think that he is actually almost a Bodhisattva of sorts. Albeit a misguided one but still deeply compassionate and loving.

Leary took the hit (went to jail then Weather Underground tried to break him out LOL) when his daughter got caught with Cannabis crossing the border. That takes some SERIOUS personal integrity and I respect him for that.

 

[sconnie420]

I think Timothy Leary, the merry pranksters, and the grateful dead are almost the entire reason LSD is widely known and used.

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^this
I think eventually it wouldve caght on but to the extent it did w/ the help of those listed above, doubtful..that's jus my opinion tho.

 

[bukweat]

Man I would like to personally thank so many of those people. They were out front on so many of the issues. Leary, to me anyway, was like a counter culture car salesman. After all how could you be against sex, drugs, and rock n roll.

 

[the_void]

History question everyone, leary was before my time, so I wanna understand what happened. In the 60s huge amounts of ppl started doing drugs for first time cannabis, lsd .

Was the problem that leary was preaching LSD when even cannabis was cutting edge? He was pitching LSD to people born in 1920s-1930s, it sounds literally like “young people take the substance and temporarily lose their sanity”, i cant even imagine how disturbing that sounded to people born in 20s-30s.

Would advocating lsd in 60s be like advocating full legalization of heroin, meth, in 2021 etc when even decriminalization of these substances is progressive for most people?