Two years before I arrived in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1965 Timothy Leary on Harvard’s faculty had been fired after his experimental research on LSD(psilocybin) may have involved students without their awareness. For years after, debate raged about the use of “acid,” with many young people “dropping it” and many lawmakers concerned about its use. Eventually it became illegal.
Recently LSD is back in the news, touted as a tool for the treatment of many kinds of mental illness. Rather than being seen, as it was in the 1960’s, as a cause of mental breakdown, some say it may help. At any rate, laws have kept pace resulting in the legalization or decriminalization in many parts of the United States.
I notice with amusement that Cambridge has allowed it once again! Full disclosure: I have never used the stuff despite much encouragement from college friends. It has no more appeal to me now.
Saved By Words 
I remember your culture shock arriving in Massachusetts for college. How interesting that your home state of Oregon is one of the leaders in this movement. I’d forgotten that Leary was fired.
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Oregon went from being the staid culture of my youth to one much more like the Cambridge in the 1960’s!
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Yes!
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I wasn’t an ‘Acid dropper’, but I did try Mescaline a couple of times. The main problem is when the effects wear off and you realise all the ‘good stuff’ actually didn’t happen, except inside your head!
Best wishes, Pete.
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Mescaline was popular in college. I never encountered marijuana in college, probably because the odor would have alerted the dorm masters.
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Me neither. In fact, the only time i tried pot it didn’t do much for me. I’d rather have a few glasses of vino. Or Scotch.
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Pot made me paranoid the time I tried it. I favored brandy in my youth.
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I prefer to stay in the present, as scary a place as the world can be sometimes.
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I never was even tempted!
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Never appealed to me either
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I prefer to stay in the present… Never wanted to mess with my neurones
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Me neither.
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Wow, I really question the wisdom of this! This is disturbing on so many levels, I had heard the rumours through the professsional grapevine that this may be happening but this is a serious psychotropic drug that has induced many users into psuedo Schizophrenia (amonst other mental health conditions) which is absolutely life altering & for life.
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It is absolutely true. The latest “fad” for PTSD, along with ecstasy.
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😬
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