Introducing LSD, 1953–1956
University of Illinois Press April 20, 2017 DOI: 10.5406/illinois/9780252039195.003.0003 (opens in new tab)
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractThe chapter examines how LSD entered the news agenda through reports on scientific studies that used the drug to simulate madness, alongside the public conversation about mystical, mind-expanding drug use ignited by Aldous Huxley's book "The Doors of Perception." Journalists introduced American audiences to these new drugs and to the idea that drug-induced mental states could have scholarly and academic importance. This scholarly framing gave journalists permission to describe drug experiences that had previously been considered inappropriate for public discussion. Mainstream media coverage was soon followed by even more sensational reporting in marginal publications.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Argues that journalists in the 1950s-60s used the scholarly framing of LSD research to legitimize public discussion of drug-induced mental states, with mainstream coverage quickly followed by more sensational reports in marginal publications. |
Abstract
This chapter studies the dramatic appearance of LSD on the news agenda in reports on scientific studies using drugs to simulate madness, and the concurrent discussion of mystical, mind-expanding drug use sparked by the publication of Aldous Huxley's Doors of Perception. In addressing these topics, journalists introduced American audiences to new drugs and to the use of drugs to create mental states considered to have significant scholarly and academic importance. Scholarly interest gave journalists license to describe drug states that previously had been considered inappropriate for public view. Reports in mainstream media outlets were followed quickly by even more sensational coverage in more marginal publications.