The New Psychedelic Culture, and a Warning
Not that hippy acid head stuff
Something remarkable has been emerging worldwide over the past decade. I should say re-emerging because it has existed in societies since the dawn of time. The ability to alter our perception of reality via plant materials known as psychedelics has been pursued in virtually every civilization on this planet. But western society killed this pursuit in the late 20th century by legally lumping together these substances with highly addictive drugs like heroin, effectively eliminating any legitimate research into their potential for good.
Ironically, this demonization of psychedelics had its roots in right wing politics. In the early seventies the anti-Vietnam war protests were changing minds across the country. President Nixon hated the notion that youth culture was gaining status and that alternative movements were mobilizing public opinion against his government.
And these movements were closely aligned with the use of psychedelic drugs like LSD and psilocybin mushrooms. Nixon made a policy decision to associate these drugs with the addictive street drug culture to paint his opposition as low life drug users and dealers.
The drugs were lumped into a category that stopped any research into these remarkable substances dead in its tracks. And that…
