Prohibited or regulated? LSD psychotherapy and the United States Food and Drug Administration
History of Psychiatry May 19, 2016 DOI: 10.1177/0957154x16648822 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | LSD |
| Keywords | Hallucinogen Recreation Drug Administration probate law Pharmacology |
| Citations | 32 |
| Key points | Argues that LSD research was never prohibited by the FDA in the 1960s and that the administration supported it more than recognized, with the decline reflecting broader changes in pharmaceutical regulation rather than a ban. |
Abstract
Over the 1950s and early 1960s, the use of the hallucinogenic drug lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) to facilitate psychotherapy was a promising field of psychiatric research in the USA. However, during the 1960s, research began to decline, before coming to a complete halt in the mid-1970s. This has commonly been explained through the increase in prohibitive federal regulations during the 1960s that aimed to curb the growing recreational use of the drug. However, closely examining the Food and Drug Administration’s regulation of LSD research in the 1960s will reveal that not only was LSD research never prohibited, but that the administration supported research to a greater degree than has been recognized. Instead, the decline in research reflected more complex changes in the regulation of pharmaceutical research and development.
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 26
- Long-term effects of psychedelic drugs: A systematic review Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews March 16, 2020
- Adverse events in clinical treatments with serotonergic psychedelics and MDMA: A mixed-methods systematic review Journal of Psychopharmacology August 26, 2022
- 2019: A year of expansion in psychedelic research, industry, and deregulation Drug Science, Policy and Law 2020
- A Systematic Review of Reporting Practices in Psychedelic Clinical Trials: Psychological Support, Therapy, and Psychosocial Interventions. Psychedelic Medicine December 1, 2023
- Socio-psychedelic imaginaries: envisioning and building legal psychedelic worlds in the United States European Journal of Futures Research April 30, 2022
and 21 more in the library
Cites 8
- LSD: My Problem Child The Antioch Review 1981
- LYSERGIC ACID DIETHYLAMIDE (LSD-25) American Journal of Psychiatry June 1, 1952
- Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD-25): I. Physiological and Perceptual Responses The Journal of Psychology 1955
- Efficacy and Enlightenment: LSD Psychotherapy and the Drug Amendments of 1962 Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences August 16, 2012
- Neuropsychedelia: the revival of hallucinogen research since the decade of the brain Choice Reviews Online July 23, 2013
and 3 more in the library