Albert Hofmann Takes His Last Trip

With "no sense of urgency," Albert Hofmann died today at the age of 102. He invented LSD in 1938, and took the first trip— in his case on a bicycle and 250 micrograms— in 1943.

Truly a legend of "better living through chemistry," Hoffman was an imaginative and inspiring leader in the psychedelic community throughout his old age. I remember being lime-green with envy at my friends who traveled to Basel to help celebrate his 100th birthday.

Let's shout the obvious: the benefits and insights of LSD-25 have been thwarted and crucified by the Titanic stupidity of the War on Drugs™ — one of the great brainwashings of our time.

If you have ever experienced a psychedelic, either synthetic or right out of your garden, I hope you'll mention it in the coming days, to someone you love who might not be in the loop. Get out that Mom Took Acid button and stick it on your fridge. Smell the Marigolds. Raise a glass to Albert!

The Yippies, circa 1968, were notorious for suggesting that we put "acid in the water supply" to speed an end to the Vietnam war. Below, proof they were right...

Comments

[Free Casey]

Infinite Love to Albert

www.freecasey.org

[amy]

hahahahahahaha!!!!!!!

[Bill Brent]

OK, here's an odd but true story I composed in 1997 while on acid, in order to meet a call for submissions for a likewise odd anthology called EROS EX MACHINA -- later retitled SEX MACHINE -- it's pretty self-explanatory otherwise.

http://litboy.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/01/brush_your_care.html

I did have to tidy up my acid-drenched scribblings later, just as any good writer must edit his first draft, but I couldn't have gotten to first base without the acid trip.

--Bill
www.LitBoy.com

[Sue Katz]

I was just working on a piece about acid when your posting arrived. What a fabulous clip! Although I opposed them at the time, perhaps the Yippies were truly on to something.
Sue

[C.S. Lewiston]

I've never used acid myself. But I think that it's safe to say that the the wave of musical and artistic creativity which crested in the late 1960's and early-mid-1970's was facilitated by LSD and other drugs that conservatives love to hate (Rush should forget that oxycontin stuff and get into some serious mind-expansion!). Even music and art which was not labeled as "psychedelic" showed the influence of the entheogen culture of that day.

[Greta Christina]

I just have one question:

Where on EARTH did you find that video?

That is the funniest thing all week. The sober voice-over explaining that the giggling soldier is climbing a tree to feed the birds -- priceless.

Okay. I guess I need to go blog about my LSD experiences. Give me a day or two.

[Greta Christina]

Okay. It's up now.

[bernarda]

Here Grace Slick explains how she tried to give LSD to Richard Nixon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWpLJyVthBU

Here is a BBC documentary on LSD.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zzq_sBsjbAU

[Linda Rowland-Jones]

O dear, which experience do I blog about? There were so many, all of them delicious, esp. that one where I saw sweet salvation in my dish of late night ravioli...or when I fooled myself with my own deception, faking out my boyfriend with an imaginary spider on a blade of grass, or dancing at Cesar's Palace in a hot turquoise dress...or the kelp pod that is probably still transmitting to outer space from Drakes Beach in Marin. Ahhhhhhhh. LOVE YOU ALBERT! Thank you thank you thank you.
Trust the goofy Brits to produce this film; where's the Monty Python version? love you, Linda

[Robert Zoltan Szeles]

I read in an article that the ban
on LSD for research purposes was
going to be lifted, due to several
suppressed studies (especially one
Canadian one) that proved the incredible
benefits of lives changed (such as
alcoholism cured after one session,
and the person still sober 40 years
later).

I was convinced of its beneficial
potential after reading the work
of Stanislav Grof. Although I haven't
used LSD (that would simply give me
a personal story about it that may
not be relevant to anyone else), I
have done holotropic breathwork
and found it beneficial.

I hope the ban on research and
medical treatment is lifted.