LSD before Leary: Sidney Cohen's Critique of 1950s Psychedelic Drug Research
Isis March 1, 1997 DOI: 10.1086/383628 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | LSD Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Criminology Drug Government linguistics Hallucinogen Psychoanalysis |
| Citations | 68 |
| Key points | Argues that Sidney Cohen's 1962 warning about LSD's dangers, prompted by medical concerns over popularization and nonmedical use, led to government regulation that preceded the 1960s drug movement. |
Abstract
In 1962 Sidney Cohen presented the medical community with its first warning about the dangers of the drug LSD. LSD had arrived in the United States in 1949 and was originally perceived as a psychotomimetic capable of producing a model psychosis. But in the mid 1950s intellectuals in Southern California redefined LSD as a psychedelic capable of producing mystical enlightenment. Though LSD was an investigational drug, authorized only for experimental use, by the late 1950s psychiatrists and psychologists were administering it to cure neuroses and alcoholism and to enhance creativity. Cohen's 1960 study of LSD effects concluded that the drug was safe if given in a supervised medical setting, but by 1962 his concern about popularization, nonmedical use, black market LSD, and patients harmed by the drug led him to warn that the spread of LSD was dangerous. The subsequent government crackdown and regulation of LSD preceded the 1960s drug movement and was prompted by medical, not social, concerns.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on LSD, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Experimental Use of Psychedelic (LSD) Psychotherapy | 1970 | Historical analysis | |
| LSD: My Problem Child | 1981 | Historical analysis | |
| On the Use and Abuse of LSD | 1968 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Use of Music in Psychedelic (LSD) Psychotherapy | 1972 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Flashbacks: Recurrent Intrusive Images After the Use of LSD | 1969 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 41
- Human hallucinogen research: guidelines for safety. Journal of Psychopharmacology July 1, 2008
- Constructing drug effects: A history of set and setting Drug Science, Policy and Law 2017
- The Challenging Experience Questionnaire: Characterization of challenging experiences with psilocybin mushrooms Journal of Psychopharmacology November 18, 2016
- The abuse potential of medical psilocybin according to the 8 factors of the Controlled Substances Act Neuropharmacology June 5, 2018
- Hallucinogenic Drugs and Plants in Psychotherapy and Shamanism Journal of Psychoactive Drugs December 1, 1998
and 36 more in the library