Book Review On Lysergic Acid Dreams Shlain

The substance LSD otherwise known as Lysergic acid diethylamide is a psychedelic drug that is commonly associated with the hippie generation of the 1960’s. Its influence and perpetuated use transformed and created sixties culture, art, music, and social standings. With that being said, the substance has a long history that proceeds it’s commonly thought of time period. The novel, Acid Dreams by Martin A. Lee and Bruce Shlain examine this vast history regarding the substance use and function amongst a variety of different institutions and people. After reading excerpts from this book, I was surprised to see how profound and prevalent LSD was used in CIA operations and programs. What was even more surprising was the fact that the CIA was even

In my opinion, this idea of a “bloodless war” with the use of psychedelic drugs has some credibility but I feel as if it would be difficult to universally accept this form as the only form of warfare. Let’s say, for example, America wanted to use psychedelic warfare in another country. On the positive side, America could say that they did not kill or murder any of their civilians and were successful in that aspect of war. On the other hand, the other country may decide to fight back with normal warfare and ultimately create a large number of American causalities. In this case, I highly doubt that America would continue with using a peaceful psychedelic warfare method. In war, the goal is to win, not play fair and though the idea of a “bloodless war” with the use of psychedelics is humane, I think it is way too idealistic to meditate that war could be unanimously fought in a civilized

Like I mentioned before the 1960’s use of LSD gave way to a culture and generation which opposed any government action. This was a generation that really started questioning the government’s purpose and control. The use of LSD only heightened this need for revolution and freedom. This is exactly what the government does not want from its people. Another reason as to why the government may not want to legalize such substances because they are probably fixated on the small number of people who use these substances and have bad trips or accidents. Though it is not wrong to consider such outcomes, I think that they should revisit what these drugs could positively do. There are cases where LSD and psilocybin are used medically. In fact, I just read an article that explained how LSD could help with terminally ill patients and alleviate the anxiety of death. All in all, I think the government should reconsider the legalization of LSD especially if it’s in a controlled setting and has a high potential for medical