Psychedelic Wars
The War on Drugs November 30, 2021 DOI: 10.18574/nyu/9781479811359.003.0008 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 1 |
| Key points | Argues that psychedelic drugs have been concurrently depicted as legitimate medicines and dangerous drugs within the War on Drugs, with various historical actors fighting personal 'psychedelic wars' in mental medicine and beyond. |
Abstract
Psychedelic drugs, particularly LSD, have an awkward place in the War on Drugs. Through a focus on distinct “psychedelic wars” in the historical literature, in the clinic, with the self, and on the home front, this chapter showcases how substances were concurrently depicted as legitimate or illegitimate, as medicines or as dangerous drugs. It will also illustrate how the historical actors involved (doctors, patients, policy makers, users) fought their own personal psychedelic wars in the field of mental medicine and beyond. Finally, in reflecting on psychedelics as part of the War on Drugs, this chapter addresses under-explored elements related to diversity and equity, biomedicine, counterculture, criminalization, commercialization, and the messy relationship among those factors.