For almost 50 years, it’s been illegal to use the psychedelic drug LSD for anything.
The federal government puts it in the most dangerous drug classification, right up there with heroin.
It was discovered back in 1938.
A Swiss chemist named Albert Hofmann was researching a drug to treat heart and lung diseases.
During an experiment, he was accidentally exposed to a small amount of the drug,
which triggered a mild psychedelic reaction.
In his notes, he describes feeling
“a sensation of well-being and renewed life…
everything glistened and sparkled in a fresh light.”
We experience everything in our brains as signals directed down a network of paths.
Boundaries keep these signals in check.
LSD seems to knock down these boundaries,
allowing signals to roam in areas they normally don’t go.
This makes it hard for the brain to tell the difference between the imaginary and the real.
It might also be why people say the drug reframes their sense of self.
By the mid-'60s, it was the most studied psychoactive drug in history.
But it was also a leading cause of young people ending up in the emergency room.
This led Congress to ban psychedelic drugs in 1971,
and all research on LSD vanished.
Then in 2000, a few scientists were granted permission to study psychedelics again,
including LSD.
And although the research has been in small,privately funded trials, the results have been intriguing.
In one 2006 trial, LSD helped alleviate cluster headaches.
And in a more recent study, LSD combined with therapy
eased end-of-life anxiety in terminal cancer patients.
Other psychedelics are being studied, too.
Psilocybin, a chemical found in magic mushrooms,
helped 80 percent of heavy smokers quit cigarettes.
And MDMA, or ecstasy, has helped treat patients with post-traumatic stress disorder
prompting the FDA to fast-track it for review.
LSD is still illegal,
but scientists think psychedelics could one day be
medically useful drugs.
