I think for the most part in the early sixties most people just descreetly smoked grass. There wasn't extreme use of Lucy or anything.
I'm sure everybody didn't use, but.. I don't know. I think anyone who didn't live in the sixties shouldn't answer this question.
I don't know how many hippies did'nt do drugs, but I do know that there was a lot of people did drugs that were'nt hippies.
no one knows for sure and it depends on the area. for example some areas, more people were doing lsd then smoking pot and for richeouss reasons to
Woodstock 1969 A disclaimer: I in no way condone or recommend the use of illegal (and most legal drugs; like tobacco and alcohol) but I believe a lack of knowledge is more dangerous. From personal experience it varied with age and education. In the midwest there were fewer sources and it was pretty much underground. Paranoia wasn't necessary; it was scary to have long hair. You've heard of being pulled over for driving while black? Try driving while hippie, in the 60's and early 70's. As more people from all age groups turned against the Vietnam War, attitudes, appearances and drug use spread out to older and more conservative elements of the population. The Watergate Scandal changed things dramatically. I knew cops, doctors, lawyers, construction workers and other unlikely types who smoked pot in the 70's. Let's not forget Bush, Cheney, Newt Gingrich, Kerry, Gore, Clinton, etc. etc. got high as well as many politicians past and present who use drug hysteria and misinformation to scare an uninformed public into re-electing them and passing draconian laws that cause more harm than good and are a waste of taxpayers money. Thank the CIA for much of this. (Google Project MKULTRA) A lot of adults won't admit their experimentation with drugs and sex, for that matter, because they want to discourage kids from doing the same thing. Also with drug testing so prevalent in the workplace, those who still indulge want to put as much distance between themselves and the 60's as they can. They act as if it was all some big myth. Here are some statistics: Overall Trends * No surveys pre- 1970 * "Retrospective estimates" indicate Marijuana, Cocaine and Hallucinogens were the most popular drugs. * 1960 estimate: 6% had ever used marijuana (18-25 year olds) * Use rose gradually throughout the 1960's * 1967: 15% had tried marijuana * 1967-1972: Dramatic increase, by 1972 (1st household survey) 48% had tried marijuana * Same pattern holds for other drugs (at correspondingly lower levels) * "Summer of Love"-- 1967/68 largely a localized phenomenon * Peak of use: 1979-1982(some disagreement here based on sampling differences of surveys and specific drug in question. * 1980-early 1990's: Steady and dramatic decline for just about all drugs (some exceptions and irregularities) * Even Alcohol and Nicotine use was down (contrary to belief that their use would increase as illicit use declined) * At worse use of Alcohol has been stable, but with decline in many age groups * Illicit use: Way down until 1990/91 (except for stability of "lifetime use") * Exception: Interesting Stability of LSD Use, also increases * 1998-2002: RISE IN REPORTED USE, growth in regular, frequent use of cocaine (peaks in 1999), perceived rise in binge drinking among young adults (40-45% of college population) * 1997-1998: Stabilizing? Downward trend beginning? Or, Lull before the storm? * 1998-2001: Modest increases in many drug categories * 2001-2002: Slight decreases in most use--especially alcohol and tobacco. Even ecstasy use is down slightly from peak in 2001 (9.2% seniors/lifetime). Also, modest increases in stimulant use (cocaine and methamphetamine). Aso, slight increases in heroin use--yet these findings could be insignificant year-to-year variations. * 2002-2004: Stabilization and or significant decrease in use--especially cigarettes. Source: Drugs in American Society, 5th and 6th editions, Erich Goode, McGraw-Hill, 1999/2005. Annual Causes of Death in the United States Tobacco 435,000 Poor Diet and Physical Inactivity 365,000 Alcohol 85,000 Microbial Agents 75,000 Toxic Agents 55,000 Motor Vehicle Crashes 26,347 Adverse Reactions to Prescription Drugs 32,000 Suicide 30,622 Incidents Involving Firearms 29,000 Homicide 20,308 Sexual Behaviors 20,000 All Illicit Drug Use, Direct and Indirect 17,0001 Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs Such As Aspirin 7,600 Marijuana 0 Source: Journal of the American Medical Association, Jan. 19, 2005, Vol. 293, No. 3, p. 298.) For more details and up to the minute information: http://www.umsl.edu/~rkeel/180/trends.html#Illegal%20Recreational%20Use Be informed. Be safe. Or don't do it at all.
I'm actually surprised by those statistics...I would have thought from maybe 1965-1975 there would be twice the acid and pot use there is now...
a lot of people i knew smoked pot, took the occasional hit of acid or went shrooming, but that's about it. they weren't really heavily into it. of course i have to make the disclaimer i wasn't living in the cities then, so my sample base might be a little skewed. i did live for a couple of years on a kind of half assed commune up in southern oregon, with some pretty mellow friendly people. there offering someone a joint was the social thing to do. and everyone had a few plants growing out in the national forrest next door, so if the plants did get discouvered and confiscated there wouldn't be anyone to get busted for it. but it wasn't like heavy use or addiction had that much to do with what anything was all about. just a bit of weed once in a while to mellow out. =^^= .../\...
