The Repercussions Of The LSD And The Hippie Movement

LSD, lysergic acid diethylamide, can change the thought patterns of the people who use them, potentially erasing their identity completely. Millions of people around the world have experimented with LSD outside of lab conditions, “exploring reality”, themselves, and what is known as Ego death in what experienced users call “a trip”. What most do not know however is the repercussions of LSD in the long term. LSD is also known as Lucy, L, the electric kool-aid, and tabs; along with a few other recreational drugs is known under the umbrella term as acid; acid has been known to give people forms of Psychosis. Psychosis is a mental disorder where a person’s thoughts and emotions are impaired by a lost connection with reality. People with psychosis

The hippie movement was what brought this hidden drug to the world. During the sixties when the era of love and peace prospered, Lucy made her first entrance to the world. Millions tried the chemical and experienced a “release from reality” a new way to experience freedom at its purest; freedom of thought and expression. However, the Manson murders quickly cast a dark shadow over LSD as it was associated with them and the hippie movement. The Manson murders brought an end to the hippie movement and LSD alike (Revolution Blues, Horning). With the fear Charles Manson and his associates, the general public quickly moved away from the hippie ideals; sudden fears brought an end to the era of peace and prosperity. The generations that grew up in the seventies to nineties grew up in a time where Charles Manson, cults, and murderers were all the result of illegal drug usage. In “The War On Drugs” Dickinson talks about how “the war” served to only increase the fear, the risk, the cost, and the punishment. Stated that the forty-five-year long war on drugs, that it has been a complete failure only spreading fear, unjust punishment, and an increase in “felons”; citing President Obama’s speech on the war on drugs (The War on Drugs, Dickinson). With fear of LSD becoming more common; the average users

From its unremarkable discovery in 1938, to its first human experiment in 1943; the electric kool-aid has moved around. It spread with the hippies, became a symbol of rebellion, terrified thousands, and has caused millions around the world to alter their reality. It has been known to change lives; for some their lives have drastically improved from their experiences with it, while for others it has drastically worsened. The after effects of LSD and acid can destroy lives if untreated or undiagnosed; psychosis can be a detrimental to a person mental stability and health if it is left untreated. That, coupled with the fear of the United States government cracking down with “The War on Drugs”, LSD being one of the most punishable drugs with a minimum of 5 years and a fine of no more than two million for possession of one to nine grams (LSD: Penalties for Sale and Possession). The Manson murders and the fear that illicit drugs are the sole reason to blame. The fear of death or being disassociated with yourself, with ego death and ego loss. And the fear of the taboo nature of drugs; are the reasons more countries and research labs do not focus on the possibilities of LSD-25. As powerful as many substances are, LSD remains one of the most potent with a threshold dose as low as 20 µg; it also remains one of the most life altering as it can help you