Week Two

Though many forms of psychedelics and hallucinogens have been used traditionally for centuries, psychedelics first entered the mainstream cultural awareness in the 1960s. However, their use was associated with the counterculture of the time. In 1968 the possession of LSD was made illegal and for almost 50 years now, psychedelics have been lumped into an ongoing “war on drug” started by President Nixon in 1971. Stories of trips gone wrong and untrue urban legends regarding psychedelics have been spread for dozens of years. The conversation around psychedelics is beginning to shift, however, and promising research has come out about possible therapeutic uses of these psychedelic compounds.