LSD is illegal. But do you know WHY?

I'm just wondering what other peoples points of view are on this, or what answers they might have found in their own searches. Sorry for the long post but I think all the points are important as a whole.

I find it so incredibly disconcerting that we have laws governing the personal use of LSD and other psychedelics and that the average person accepts this being reasonable, logical, sensible or helpful to society without actually knowing why. The more I research the more amazed I am at what I accepted as truth when younger.

What are the real reasons governments, especially the US as a world leader, give for denying the right to explore your own inner-mind?

Media hysteria is the direct, influencing factor on how LSD came to be made illegal of course, but government and religion have (for their own seperate interests) blatently gone to great lengths to reinforce this. The sudden street popularity in the 60's was not well managed and was in the end a kind of sad 'last hurrah' for this fascinating new inner world.

Those of us who have had the opportunity to try psychedelics or the curiosity to research them know that the general public's perception of this stuff is almost totally false. The average person on the street really knows NOTHING about psychedelics..apart from maybe they met some long haired guy that said "woah, trippy" a lot and liked bright colourful patterns, or maybe heard a rumour about someone flipping out. They don't actually have any real, hard knowledge on the subject or understand why the person might have flipped out/liked colourful patterns. But why not?

If it was really so obviously dangerous we would all learn about it in school or higher education, but instead it is brushed under the carpet with a stern wag of the finger and hoped that a few scary stories will be enough to stop anyone from being curious about what's under the lump. Nothing to see here, people. Move along.

Why is it illegal not only to explore your own conciousness but also socially taboo to have any understanding or interest in chemical methods and benefits along with the potential dangers?

It is as taboo to study psychedelics as it is to use them (unless you are focusing on the antisocial effects, then of course it's celebrated). Other human traits with potential dangers to people like alcohol, smoking, driving cars, violence and sex are all discussed freely by all sides, even in schools, yet psychedelics (although studies tend to show they are less detrimental to health and infitely more interesting to science) are ignored.

How can people reach adulthood and not know WHY certain experiences are shut off and deemed illegal to them. (Lumping so many drugs together as 'bad' annoys me too, except for the ones governments can tax of course)

I understand why it is in certain authorities best interests to criminalise these personal explorations, and I understand the dangers to young people (many things are dangerous to the young), but this is not a good enough, logical reason for why whole intelligent populations of people accept the laws without any real thought.

What are your points of view? Does anyone do anything to actively change perceptions (apart from this website of course, which is brilliant) or do you find the public distaste or censorship of the subject too discouraging?

I know there are some organisations out there lobbying for change, I am in the middle of collating information and will post some links for people who are interested in taking an active interest.

I think it's a really fascinating (and sometimes shocking) study in social hysteria vs scientific discovery and would love to hear opinions, like what contradictions bother you the most, whether you feel you can do anything about it, whether you have actually thought about the history of psychedelics path to criminality much in the past or simply accepted it.

 

It's illegal because people out there use it as just another way to "get fucked up". So you get people who think it's a party drug or something of the sorts, who are in no way prepared for it's effects, and then take it and have a bad trip. It was made illegal because of this, as too many people attempted to commit suicide, were rushed to hopsital when having a bad trip or were doing crazy things on it like walking infront of busy traffic etc. Although it was a very small percentage, something like 1.8 percent attempted suicide and 0.8 percent succeeded. I beleive it should be made available to those who are ready to use it, but not readily available to the public like alcohol. Like a famous LSD person in the 60s said, you should be able to get a liscence to take it, for those who are ready for it, like a drivers liscence. Also, interesting facts: almost all negative effects from LSD are caused by fear.

I 100% agree with you though, I don't understand why people just accept it's illegal, without even knowing about it. A anti-drug campaign has come to my school a few times, and it's strange, they always go over the dangers of marijuana, alcohol, heroine, meth etc. but never go over psychedelics. Because, psychedelics barely have any negative effects, so they have nothing top back their anti-drug - ness up with. It annoys me how naive the people at my school are, when we get on the subject of drugs, they can easily state some of the negative factors on marijuana or meth, but not psychedelics. I go whats bad about LSD then, and most of the time they can only spurt out a few myths like getting stuck in a trip, and won't beleive me when it's not true. In the end of the conversation their reply is always, well it's illegal, so it must be bad. End of conversation.

I did a poll, for a legal assesment where I asked a number of questions and recorded people's answers. I asked about 200 people and the majority of answers (something like 90%) went like this:

What is LSD? - Ummm, isn't it like a drug. (Others didn't even know what is was.)

Is LSD Addictive? - Yes, all drugs are.

Can you easily overdose on LSD? - Yes.

What are the risks associated with LSD? - Death.

Do you think LSD be illegal, why? Yes it should be because its a drug.

It really shows the naievete towards this drug and all drugs in general. It really annoys me, but a few months ago, I would of answered those questions similarly, as I had just believed, all drugs were bad, period.

On a sidenote, I think marijuana and cocaine etc. are kind of pointless. As they don't have any meaning except making you feel good. You don't get to exlore anything except an altered state of mind, which you can do once, and don't need to do again. With psychedelics, the experience is different all the time, and offers a chance to explore yourself, how your mind works and reality itself, that's why I love psychedelics and don't really have an interest in other drugs.

Wow, that was a big rant. Haha, but nice post, I like exploring issues like these.

 

Its most defintaly not addicitve

 

I think this is the element that most people have a hard time comprehending and why there is so much negative publicity. It's like a circle, the media represents it's findings in it's usual shock story way, and this filters to peoples experiences and expectations. This should be (and was towards the end of it's legal time) one of the main factors in any studies.

I agree to a point but I do have a problem with authorities governing the use of substances that grow naturally, even though I can understand some of the social issues that can occur.
I don't think things that grow freely on our planet, such as marijuana or mushrooms, should be demonised or criminalised, but certainly require intelligent use which may need to be regulated or at least monitored (as in Amsterdam).

 

Many people claim a lot more for cannabis than 'it makes you feel good'.


Main reason acid is illegal is mind control. 'They' want everyone brainwashed and controlled because it makes it easier to exploit them. In the 60's for example, a lot of kids who took acid turned against the vietnam war and the govt. in general. Big part of the reason for its illegality. Would acidhead hippie kids be signing up to fight in Iraq? I doubt it.

 

its illegal beacuse society in itself is stupid, they dont know anything about drugs and label them as bad cause they are brainwashed every day ,how can u say something is bad if u never even done it.its also illegal because u cant account for everyone's actions..u and me and many others are responsible we do it at home get naked and look at the moon..others are idiots and take it and drive and stuff..hard drugs will never be legal ..and i could care less .everyone who hasnt done drugs will never seen some of the things i seen.

 

I see no reason at all why cannabis use needs to be 'monitored'. In effect, it is impossible to monitor mushroom use as they grow in the wild and are easily obtainable.

 

I personally find psychedelics to be addicting - I absolutely love how it makes me feel and think, and if I could I would trip probably three or so times a week.

Pot isn't useless, just ask any number of cancer patients or other who suffer from some ailment that cannabis can be used as a medicament for, and see what they say. Keep in mind that there are people who put up with the "side effects" of pot so that they can, for example, eat.

Narcotics have their place, but are extremely easily abused. Certainly snorting that shit is bad for you, and opiates are the drugs that are extremely easy to overdose on.

Drugs aren't illegal because society is misinformed, drugs are illegal because society has advanced to a point where it would be detrimental for everyone to be taking drugs all the time. There are people who can be responsible about using drugs, but there are far too many people who cannot. Since there are some that cannot, and our society is that of making rules to follow, what is percieved as against society must be banned. I said it before in another thread - psychedelics ARE dangerous, and you can't forget that. The other night when I had taken too many mushrooms, I was lucky that I had made it to my friends room rather than stay in my room and watch a movie and then leave, because I'm pretty sure I would have walked into traffic or gone someplace I shouldn't have and gotten in trouble. Maybe what we need is a safe place to go, as there are places for people to shoot up safely and free needle programs. But I think the bigger issue is that from the outside looking in, what we come off as are people who want to erase reality, rather than just numb it. That is seen as taboo; it's seen as anti-establishment and immature.

It's seen as selfish. If all you ever want to do is explore yourself, how are you going to be a functioning member of society?

And I ask those of you who say you want to find yourself, explore your mind with this shit - when will you figure yourself out? How long will it take? How much will you have to take? Will it ever stop? I'd disagree in a very general way that each trip is different. Trips are the same generally, you just feel different about it because of the mood. The same thing can be said about everyday life - each day your job feels different, you say different things to people but at the same time you say the same things. There's only so much you can experience.

 

is there? In an infinite universe...........

 

LSD is illegal because it's a street drug. If it were only used for mind exploration, therapy, etc. and in a controlled environment it may have stayed legal, maybe not forever but certainly much longer than it did. once it became a popular street drug it got lumped together with heroine cocaine crack and other drugs with more obvious dangers. And it does have psychological dangers to those who take it irresponsibly.

to a lesser extent, it probably remains illegal because of mind control issues. Leaders like to control the people, and people who have had mind-opening psychedelic experiences are generally more difficult to control.

 

I mentioned this in an earlier thread somewhere. Our methods of governing require a dumbed down and maleable society. The masses may revolt if they wised up a notch. Alcohol does nothing for you. It stupefies you. It lowers your inhibitions. It's perfect.

I feel cliche saying so, but I have had life changing, eye opening psychedelic experiences, in which I will never look at things the same again. In other words, I don't see things the way "they" want me to see them. Dig?

 

When I said "I find pot useless" I was referring to the fact, that me personally. It has no use for me, except feeling good, so to me it is pointless and I don't see the need to continue doing it. I know there are many uses for other people.

 

I have to say it can be psychologically addictive like any drug. Ive experienced that a little bit. Would be really upset when I couldnt trip when I wanted. Upset in the addicted way but I realized it on the spot and didnt like that.

Well why is it illegal well, it makes more sense to me than why weed is illegal, but I still dont agree. LSD is one of the most powerful mind altering substance, it should be bought in little regulated boutiques or something.

 

All procreational drugs are illegal because there's so much business in them. Here's a great quote from Cannabis Culture (Patrick Matthews):

"It's a huge business which is worth, on different estimates, $1-3 billion a year, in [the UK] and is the fourth cash crop by value in the United States ($15.1 billion in wholesale value, and the largest crop in California, Kentucky and Virginia)."

There's business in drugs and governments can't have this huge profit go by without regulation, espically seen as it actually makes people happy. So the illegalise it and cash in on confiscation and such. They can control this booming market without fear of seeing billions pass them by. It's pure greed mates, that is causing this problem, as so many others in the world.

 

my friend and I finally figured out why it's illegal - I used to think it was only b/c the government wanted to keep us from thinking outside their working, materialistic brainwashed economic system - but we found out that it's because it is very dangerous because people don't always take it seriously. It is VERY powerful, and when you truly tune in to a trip, everything has to be JUST RIGHT, and very safe, including dose, minset, and setting. Be careful.

 

I think all of these are reasons are true. They all make sense. Makes me say no wonder it's illegal.

 

Actually to be quite frank I dun mind it being illegal (except of the principle, cos I still think the gov is keeping it illegal cos of profit). Here's as I see it - when it's illegal (and I'm talking here about all drugs) it's hard to get hold of. Also it's seen as a taboo. Thus drugs are very much a personal choice. No one can really force it on ya, because it's perceived as taboo......you can always say no. Whereas booze and fags, well, it's kinda hard to avoid because it's part of mainstream culture. Therefore it requires a lot more contemplation on the user's part whereas with booze and fags it's so easy to get it requires hardly any thought. So I think it's alright it's illegal actually, it has its advantages to stay like this. But again, I hardly doubt the politicians are thinking along these lines.

 

Like I said before, It really should be made available to those who know what they are doing. Because getting it off the street can be very sketchy. And when bought legally you'd know how much you were getting, be sure it was LSD and not be afraid of getting caught, which could in turn reduce the number of bad trips happening now. But I definately don't think it should be made available to just anyone.

 

Loving to use something does not make it addictive though. You would not suffer psychologically or physically if you had to do without for a while.

Well, that's what they'd like you to think, and I'd like to know where this information comes from.
In reality society has advanced to a point where not everyone wants to be taking drugs all the time and that abusers of non-addictive drugs would be a very small minority. We're not all idiots, not even most of us.
This comment is lumping psychedelics in with other dangerous drugs again. Have you been to Amsterdam? Hardly a city brought to it's knees by psychedelics and pot. It's bustling, and using either of those substances is treated as a social thing and abused less than the tragic alcohol abuse you see in most countries.

Hmmm, well it's easy to say you feel you COULD have got into danger, and it does happen sometimes, but I would say this is always user error and not the fault of the drugs. Proves that we need more education about how to use properly, and better safety measures.

What exactly would stop you from functioning? It's what you do every day without thinking about it; always recieving/giving information, interracting and growing from it.
'Exploring yourself' is not about sitting around on cushions with your eyes closed 24/7, it's more like reading a really good book one night that changes your outlook for the better in all your communications afterwards. Being a self-concious member of society is far more desirable than being an unconcious fool, unaware of how your self effects other people.

To answer your questions;
*When will they figure what out? What's to figure out? It doesn't give you answers, it opens you up to different perceptions. Sometimes this helps people figure certain troubles or pains in their life out, but there is no one goal. It's an experience. It's like asking how much of the world do you have see before you figure 'it' out? There's no such thing, it's all just experience.
* Sometimes one trip is enough. Lots of people report that LSD changed their views and sometimes life for the better, but they only dosed once and see no need to ever take it again.
* Again, sometimes one is enough.
* LSD is scientifically proven to be one of the few substances with no regularity to experience, it changes not only dose by dose, but also person by person. I'm not sure if they have found one identifiable aspect that occurs in all trips across the board yet, it's dependent on too many factors. They can influence the trips greatly however. If you are not experiencing anything new when you trip perhaps you should read some books on how to make the most of your experiences? Or maybe they just don't do much for you, it happens.

None of these things explains why it should be illegal to everyone. I could replace the word 'drugs' with 'alcohol' and say all the same points.

 

I think all of these reasons make sense in a way too, but not enough to ban it totally from not only controlled use but from studies as well! Maybe it should be like scuba diving, where you take an instruction course first, or perhaps just highly illegal to young people with large punishments for those giving access.

What bothers me most is the disinformation and misrepresentation of the facts, especially by authorities.

A quick google about why LSD is illegal might bring the average joe to the US National Drug Intelligence Centre fact sheet. First of all, the rather small amount of information tells you different things depending on how you look at it.

This is what I find tragic. No wonder the average person is so uneducated about what this drug really is and what it can do, just take a look at the official version. (They're not big on detail, they've kept it fairly small and sweet).

US Department of Justice link

It (questionably IMO) cites that LSD use may cause long lasting psychoses or shizophrenia. This has an element of truth but is not the full story, anyone who researches the drug will find this is largely debateable, extremely rare and certainly not proven.

It tells you LSD is not addictive but that regular users may develop a tolerance to it (well done, an honest fact!) So in other words better for you than alcohol then? This doesn't help explain why it should be criminal.

It tells us some users experience despair or terrifying fears when under the influence of the drug. Naturally it does not mention the overwhelming number of users who report positive, to the point of life-changing, effects.

It also states that 20.2 million U.S. residents aged 12 and older used LSD at least once in their lifetime. So where are all these people who think they are oranges then? Did they all try to fly out of windows? (I believe there is only one known case where someone actually did this, and I don't have the information handy but if I recall they were suffering a mental disorder before taking the drug, as were most people who reported negative experiences during all their testing).

And finally they state LSD is a schedule 1 illegal drug, meaning it has potential for abuse and no legimate medical purpose.

Potential for abuse; so, like alcohol, junk food, driving a car, religion and gun ownership then? The responsible action for something which has potential for abuse is to try to regulate and educate. This is common sense. It is no reason in itself to criminalise something for whole populations.

No legimate medical purpose; well, this is debateable too and recent studies (going back over old research results of course, new research would be illegal) show this may not be the case at all.
Even so, no medical purpose in itself is also not a reason to criminalise something.

Most unsettling to me is that it is illegal to study. Are there any universites who are now allowed to study it freely? Since when in human history has it ever been the correct course to make controlled study of a new science criminal?
In this case, scientists never said "well, we've studied all we can and there are definitely no medical purposes or social benefits. End of." In fact they said the opposite, so the Drug Intelligence fact sheet would be more correct to say there are NOT YET any KNOWN medical purposes for lsd.

Some of the earlier research methods which showed negative influence on people from psychedelics were later realised to be completely flawed studies too (in that the subjects were in very clinical uncomfortable environments and facing interrogation style questioning or were already suffering mental disorders), so it should be logical to continue research now we have a better understanding of how these drugs work in the mind.

In science there are always more questions to answer, new technology to utilise for exploration.
Politics should never step in and shut research down simply because they don't like it or because it upsets religions. We wouldn't have space exploration or evolutionary theory if religious politics ran the show, I think this is gross negligence by authorities who are supposed to be there to serve the people.

Damn, I just wish my children could grow up in a world where, as adults, they can easily and legally get help and advice for exploring their own conciousness and become more fulfilled people with the blessing of their protectors, not despite them.