LSD - A Documentary Report (1966)

LSD - specyfik na całe zło epoki dzieci-kwiatów. Ponad dwa lata temu - w kwietniu 2008 roku - zmarł Albert Hoffman - wynalazca tego panaceum. Przeżył piękny wiek. Miał 102 lata. Studiował chemię na Uniwersytecie w Zurychu. Zajmował się głównie biochemią. Pracował naukowo nad budową chityny, z czego się doktoryzował. Następnie został zatrudniony w dziale farmaceutyczno-chemicznym koncernu farmaceutycznego Sandoz (obecnie Novartis). Zajmował się między innymi badaniem alkaloidów sporyszu oraz cebuli morskiej. Doprowadziło to do syntezy LSD. Skrót LSD pochodzi od niemieckiej nazwy dietyloamidu kwasu lizergowego.

Hofmann przez całe dekady bronił swego wynalazku. "Sporządziłem tę substancję jako lek. To nie moja wina, że ludzie jej nadużywają" - mówił. Sam na sobie jako pierwszy przetestował jej działanie, gdy odrobina wyciekła mu na palec. Było to 16 kwietnia 1943 roku. "Musiałem wrócić do domu, gdyż nagle poczułem niepewność i lekkie oszołomienie. Wszystko widziałem zamazane, jak w krzywym zwierciadle" - napisał w notatce dla szefów firmy.

Do domu wrócił na rowerze. Tam przeżył stan, który nazwał "wizją". "Cokolwiek pomyślałem, ukazywało mi się w kolorach i obrazach" - mówił w swe setne urodziny w wywiadzie dla szwajcarskiej telewizji SF DRS.

Trzy dni po pierwszym eksperymencie z zażyciem LSD, Hofmann spróbował większej dawki. Rezultat określił jako "straszną podróż". "Substancja, z którą chciałem eksperymentować, wzięła mnie we władanie. Przepełniał mnie wszechogarniający strach, że zwariuję. Zostałem przeniesiony do innego świata, w inny czas" - napisał chemik.

Hofmann i jego współpracownicy mieli nadzieję, że ich wynalazek wniesie ogromny wkład w psychiatrię, zwłaszcza w diagnozowanie i leczenie schizofrenii. Przez jakiś czas firma Sandoz sprzedawała LSD 25 pod nazwą Delysid. Był to jeden z najsilniejszych leków w historii medycyny. Jeden gram wystarczył, by utrzymywać narkotyczny stan u 10-20 tysięcy ludzi przez 12 godzin.

Rząd USA zakazał sprzedaży LSD w 1966 roku, wkrótce podobne decyzje podjęły inne kraje. Hofmann przez długie dziesięciolecia utrzymywał, że to niesprawiedliwe i że lek ten nie powodował uzależnienia, czego on sam miał być dowodem. Przyznał jednak w końcu, że w niewłaściwych rękach substancja jest niebezpieczna. Swe doświadczenia podsumował w 1979 roku w książce "LSD - moje trudne dziecko", która opisuje psychiczne i fizyczne skutki używania narkotyku. (Rzeczpospolita)

Prezentowany album stanowi dokumentalny zapis wypowiedzi piewców LSD - Timothy Leary'ego, Allena Ginsberga oraz bandy Kena Keseya - Merry Pranksters.

Albert Hoffman

At Capitol Records we live in a world of the young - a world of rock 'n' roll music, amid the need for a constant awareness of teenage interests of all kinds. We are, therefore, perhaps more aware of, and more sensitive to, the widespread use of LSD among the school age population. It is our firm belief that exposure to knowledge on this subject is of utmost importance to this group, and even more so to parents - which is why we have made this album. What better way to study and understand this subject and its dangers than at its very source - by listening in on the LSD community of musicians, pushers, narcotics officers, medical experts, non-medical "experts," and users themselves.

What is LSD? Is it a dangerous psychologically-habituating drug from which there may be a point of no return, or is it, as many users would like to believe, a consciousness-expanding chemical which enables one to see himself and his relationship to the universe and his fellow man for the first time? Is it one of the evils of our highly-complicated society symptomatic of its decline, or is it instead a new "religion" which will lead us into greater awareness and accomplishments?

Who should take it, under what conditions, what are its possibilities for good, and what are its dangers? These questions must be faced by all of us at this time when the widespread use of LSD is threatening to "turn on" the world. It is our sincere hope that the information exposed here will be helpful to those who want to understand what is "happening" in our high schools, colleges, and metropolitan communities today and all of the implications involved.

We did much soul-searching before planning this album. Could we possibly be doing any harm by helping to publicize this very subject, regardless of the nature of our approach? We came to the conclusion that so much publicity has already been given to LSD that it would be unlikely that we would be bringing it to the attention of anyone for the first time. We decided further that the phonograph record might be the best medium through which to properly educate and inform those very people who have only surface knowledge, and have failed to read the few books that have been written in depth on this subject.

We looked to Sidney Cohen, M.D. for help - because he is this country's leading medical authority on the subject of LSD. With 17 years of research on the subject and a United States Government grant behind him, Dr. Cohen represents a responsible medical approach to a still very controversial subject. We felt we had to go further and listen as well to what Dr. Cohen calls the "chemical visionaries" who are raising their voices in support of LSD. It is our belief that this album could not have been a true and honest documentary account of the subject without a presentation of what they have to say. That is why in this album you will hear the voices of Dr. Timothy Leary, Mrs. Aldous Huxley, and Allen Ginsberg.

From an editorial standpoint we cannot help but say that we feel great concern over the seriousness of indiscriminate use of LSD. However, in spite of the fact that we recognize that use of this drug might well be one of the major social problems of our time, this album is not meant to preach. It is meant to expose - as honestly as possible.

There will be a great deal on which the listener will have to draw his own conclusions.

ALAN W. LIVINGSTON
President, Capitol Records, Inc.

(from gatefold notes)

Glossary of terms used in this album

• ACID - LSD-25, lysergic acid diethylamide.
• ACIDHEAD - A regular LSD user.
• ACID TEST - A term coined by the Kesey group to label a rock-and-roll dance performed to multiple sound and light effects.
• BUM TRIP - A bad LSD experience.
• BUSTED - To be arrested.
• CAP - Capsule, often used as "a cap of LSD."
• DMT - Dimethyltryptamine, a short-acting psychedelic that is injected or smoked.
• DROP A CAP - Swallow a capsule of LSD.
• FLIP - Go psychotic.
• FREAKOUT - A bad LSD experience.
• GRASS - Marijuana.
• THE GREATFUL DEAD - A West Coast rock-and-roll group under the the entrepreneurial aegis of Owsley Stanley.
• GUIDE - A person who "baby-sits" for the psychedelic user during a session
• "H" - Heroin.
• HIGH - A state of euphoria or extreme pleasure which may or may not be induced chemically.
• MCG - Microgram. A thousandth of a milligram.
• MG - Milligram. A thousandth of a gram.
• POT - Marijuana.
• PSYCHEDELIC - Mind-manifesting.
• STONED - Denoting other than normal consciousness, induced by chemicals or the use of alcohol.
• TRAVEL AGENT- In the context of psychedelic use, the person who provides the trip
• TRIP - A psychedelic experience.
• TURN ON - To alter awareness, with or without chemicals.

This is a documentary album...

about a problem of vital concern to everyone. As you will become aware as you listen to the authentic case histories of LSD users and to interviews with professional people - doctors, scientists and educators - there is no simple, no single solution to the problem. What is offered here is, in a very real sense, LSD in action: the authentic sounds of psychedelic experiences. The album provides no answers, only a vivid exposure to LSD as it exists in our society today.

Facts are the basis for any documentary, but from the very beginning of this project, photo-journalist Lawrence Schiller discovered that far too little is known about LSD and the other psychedelic drugs. Even the experts agree with this, though they disagree on many of the other points. Therefore, Schiller decided that many of the facts and most of the story could be found outside the clinics, laboratories and hospitals, and he decided to try to reach the illicit users of the new drugs. At first his contacts were few and difficult. "Many of them were afraid," he says. "They admitted to using the drugs, but when it came to pictures and interviews they said, 'no.' " There were others, however, who were trying to exercise their rebellion, "and some," he says, "who had a sort of missionary quality. They not only wanted to tell about their experiences; they seemed as though they had to."

In the underground sort of life that drug users find themselves living, a very efficient grapevine soon develops, and it wasn't long until Schiller began attaining a greater measure of acceptance. It became generally known that he was not a representative of the law, but that his goal was one of reporting. He was admitted to "acid parties" and at times he was allowed to take photographs. Teenage users began to speak more freely for his interview microphone. Even so, months were spent on the project, hundreds of photos were taken, and thousands of feet of recording tape expended in an effort to capture a comprehensive picture of this startling situation.

When Schiller and Capitol's Alan Livingston finally came together in an effort to produce this documentary album, they found that many facts do not necessarily make the clear picture. The attitudes of the experts and the users - the terrors, the euphoria, the dedication, the casual search for kicks, the "religion" and indeed the new way of life - are as varied as they are controversial. This you will hear when you listen to the record. The story is here but the end is not in sight.

---

LSD is only a few decades old, but it has become many things - and to many people. In the beginning it was known as model of madness, a temporary schizophrenia. Scientists studied it to understand the disorganized mind. Much was learned, but the answers were far from final. Later, a few psychiatrists wondered whether it could become a treatment for certain patients. That search still goes on.

A half dozen years ago the drug slipped out of medical control. An LSD movement of chemical visionaries actively propagandized its mass use. This powerful drug became the holy water of a cult, no, a religion. For it is a religion that is forming, complete with "persecuted" Prophet, devout disciples, bible and rituals.

The story moves on. Now the "acid" is big business. The black market doses get larger and larger, the age of the takers younger and younger. They "trip out" more and more frequently. Now, for many, it is only a high. But for a few, it is a horrendous low: the complications are increasing.

As this decisive moment, as seductive misinformation pours forth, the factual story of LSD must be told. It must be told in this medium so that you, yourself, can hear the sounds of the youngster "freaking out" - the enticements of the Prophet - the "acidhead" who lost his way - and all the other facets of the LSD problem.

SIDNEY COHEN, M.D.
Chief, Psychosomatic Service
Wadsworth V.A. Hospital, Los Angeles
Author of the best-selling authoritative books on LSD: "The Beyond Within" and "LSD"

This LP was created and released in 1966 by Capitol Records as a response to the burgeoning use of LSD -- lysergic acid diethylamide -- among American teenagers. The rear album jacket proclaims "A documentary report on the current psychedelic drug controversy!" Almost salaciously, the contents are depicted as "Actual recordings of people under the influence of psychedelic drugs...Psychedelic music...The sound of the "Acid Test"...LSD users and pushers and the amazing story of LSD in action." In an ironic and fascinating twist, some of that "psychedelic music" -- particularly the fast-paced tune heard at the beginning of side two -- is that of Neal Cassidy and a pre-Grateful Dead combo called the Warlocks performing "Speed Limit" circa 1965. Each side of the long-player consists of a single, continuous track. Narrated by author Lawrence Schiller, side one sets "The Scene" with information on the history of the drug, its effects, as well as sound bites of acid users -- both novice and seasoned -- during and after use. Likewise there are points of view from leading authorities in the medical community via Dr. Sidney Cohen, M.D. -- from the Psychosomatic Services division of the Wadsworth V.A. Hospital in Los Angeles, CA. Conversely, several minutes are devoted to the warnings and proselytizations of Dr. Timothy Leary and a variety of young men and women -- from equally diverse walks of life -- who speak candidly about their experiences -- both pro and con. Several countercultural iconic names are dropped, most prominent among them is that of Owsley Stanley aka Bear. He is specifically mentioned for creating a synthesis which left the LSD practically free of impurities and, for a time, the safest non- pharmaceutical acid being circulated. Side two contains "The Trip" where Schiller again guides listeners through comments from primarily teens about when they began their experimentation and what (if anything) they were able to take from their use. Next up is the audio vérité eight-party acid trip. One of the participants -- named "Brian" -- is the primary focus of Schiller's occasional commentary. Despite his purported familiarity with the drug, its ability to incapacitate becomes evident and his already fragile psyche turns increasingly dark and introspective as "Brian" is heard going through an especially unpleasant manic and psychotic episode. Or, as Schiller refers to it, a "rocky journey [that] ended 12 hours after it had so innocently begun." As to the positive uses of the compound, both Schiller and Dr. Cohen are not secretive about the treatment of cancer patients, chronic alcoholics, and even the breakthroughs in therapy for mentally-challenged children. After providing a brief update of LSD's legal nature -- circa 1966 -- there are additional quotes from Laura Archera Huxley, widow and biographer for her late husband, author of The Doors of Perception, Aldous Huxley. She vehemently disagrees with the illegality of the drug, yet is quick to warn of its dangers when used irresponsibly. Following a brief allusion to the infamous Acid Tests held by Ken Kesey and company, portions of a live Allen Ginsberg poetry reading are played prior to some interview clips in which he talks about his revelations and insights on the substance. There are also a few minutes of rambling Acid Test recordings, concluding with the profound statement that "...on the basis of the evidence...the answer to the LSD problem should be just about as obvious as the basic question: Is this trip really necessary?" The LP's inner-gatefold includes a "Glossary of terms used in this album" with an A to Z of hippie slang -- from "Acidhead" to "Turn On," while the back cover has an essay from concurrent Capitol Records President, Alan W. Livingston that, in part, states "At Capitol Records we live in a world of the young -- a world of rock 'n' roll music, amid the need for a constant awareness of teenage interests of all kinds." ~ Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide

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