LSD before Leary: Sidney Cohen's Critique of 1950s Psychedelic Drug Research
Isis March 1, 1997 Steven J. Novak 68 citations
In 1962 Sidney Cohen issued the first medical warning about the dangers of LSD. Originally introduced to the United States in 1949 as a psychotomimetic drug that could model psychosis, LSD was redefined in the mid-1950s by Southern California intellectuals as a psychedelic capable of producing mystical enlightenment. Despite being authorized only for experimental use, psychiatrists and psychologists by the late 1950s were using it to treat neuroses and alcoholism and to enhance creativity. Cohen's 1960 study had concluded LSD was safe in supervised medical settings, but by 1962 his concerns over popularization, nonmedical use, black market LSD, and patient harm led him to warn of its dangers. The subsequent government crackdown on LSD preceded the 1960s drug movement and was driven by medical, not social, concerns.