The US intelligence agencies’ search for the “truth serum”, 1941-1973
Revista de historia de la psicología January 1, 2025 Antonio Alvarez-Cruz
From 1941 to 1973, US intelligence agencies, particularly the CIA, searched for a 'truth serum'—a drug that prevents lying—testing scopolamine, cannabis, mescaline, and LSD. No conclusive evidence was obtained that any substance could serve as a truth serum, while clear proof emerged that they are unpredictable and dangerous if misused. The failure led not only to abandoning investigation of these drugs for interrogations but also to stigmatizing them as dangerous poisons, even though they could be useful for therapy and research.