Drug Experimentation
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One of the goals of the hippie community was to entice the World with the wonders of drug use, while pursuing a lifestyle that opposed mainstream culture. They simultaneously allowed for a sense of community and gave residents freedom to make personal decisions.[1] However, their “do your own thing” ideal made it difficult to advance their movement. Eventually the culture was exploited by the American society. The first issue of the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs was published in 1967 in order to provide the general public with accredited information about the drugs being used by the hippie counterculture.[2]
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In the summer of 1967 a large group of youth from around the country moved to a community in San Francisco called Haight Ashbury. The area soon became synonymous with drug use of the hippie movement, and was the source of a number of studies on the subject. The three main drugs used in the Haight Ashbury community were psychedelics, amphetamines, and marijuana.[3] Psychedelics often cause a shift in consciousness, induce visual illusions or hallucinations, and affect the senses. They are linked to this idea of deeper consciousness, and were thought to be a means of introducing people to reality for the first time. Drug users experienced both spiritual and artistic enlightenment, and used psychedelics for recreation and self-exploration. Ultimately, psychedelics were used to lead individuals down paths of self-fulfillment.[4]
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LSD, or lysergic acid diethylamide, began as the primary drug of choice in the Haight Ashbury community.[5] The hippie community believed that LSD had the power to bring people together in peace, freedom, brotherhood, and love.[6] People who used LSD followed the lead of Dr. Timothy Leary, a Harvard professor who was an advocate for the drug. LSD was made illegal in the state of California in October 1966, and was classified as a Schedule 1 drug (a drug that has the potential to be commonly abused but has no set medical use). Methamphetamine was another type of drug commonly used in the hippie community during the 1960s.[7]
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Communities were divided into subgroups based on drug preference. Those who used psychedelics to expand their minds and gain personal insight were referred to as “heads.” Generally heads were spontaneous, unbiased, and had compassion for both individual and collective emotions. People who used methamphetamines were referred to as “freaks.” The term eventually expanded to include anyone who used a drug so much that they became violent or aggressive. Methamphetamine was a predominantly male-used drug, which affected mainly the working class. Those considered to be freaks were seen as degenerates, and were victimized by not only the mainstream, but by those within their own communities. Even underground newspapers in the Haight Ashbury community supported LSD, but criticized methamphetamine.[8]
In 1967 there was a shift in the most popular drug of the Haight Ashbury community when methamphetamine use increased. The shift was caused by a number of factors, first was availability. Production of methamphetamine required less complexity than LSD, and the precursors for the drug were relatively cheap.[9] Users experienced a greater perceived psychological need for the drug, because methamphetamine was seen as mysterious deviants were drawn to it. Other drugs of the time were studied and found to be safe, lessening their thrill effect. Pattern of drug use is affected by the criminalization of certain drugs, such as marijuana and LSD. Drugs considered to be illegal were more enticing to the counterculture. However, once studies were conducted on methamphetamine and the affects were found to be harmful, use declined once again.[10]
The counterculture in the 60s did not want the “ideal” lifestyle; they were in pursuit of their own paths of self-fulfillment and often isolated themselves. Mainstream society saw the counterculture as a mystery, and eventually exploited the hippies through television and media.[11] Culturally displaying the hippie community somewhat ruined the counterculture; they were stripped of their uniqueness through mainstream impersonation.
[1] F Davis, and L Munoz, “Heads and Freaks: Patterns and Meanings of Drug Use Among Hippies.” Journal of Health and Social Behavior 9, no. 2 (1968): 157.
[2] Donald R. Wesson, “Psychedelic Drugs, Hippie Counterculture, Speed and Phenobarbital Treatment of Sedative-hypnotic Dependence: A Journey to the Haight Ashbury in the Sixties.” Journal of Psychoactive Drugs. 43, no. 2 (2011): 154.
[3] John Robert Howard, “The Flowering of the Hippie Movement.” Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. 382, no. 1 (1969): 47.
[4] F. Davis and L. Munos, “Heads and Freaks: Patterns and Meanings of Drug Use Among Hippies. 158.
[5] John Robert Howard, “The Flowering of the Hippie Movement, 50.
[6] F. Davis and L. Munos, “Heads and Freaks: Patterns and Meanings of Drug Use Among Hippies. 158.
[7] John Robert Howard, “The Flowering of the Hippie Movement, 52.
[8] F. Davis and L. Munos, “Heads and Freaks: Patterns and Meanings of Drug Use Among Hippies. 158.
[9] Donald R Wesson, “Psychedelic Drugs, Hippie Counterculture, Speed and Phenobarbital Treatment of Sedative-hypnotic Dependence: A Journey to the Haight Ashbury in the Sixties,” 159.
[10] John Robert Howard, “The Flowering of the Hippie Movement, 51.
[11] Donald R Wesson, “Psychedelic Drugs, Hippie Counterculture, Speed and Phenobarbital Treatment of Sedative-hypnotic Dependence: A Journey to the Haight Ashbury in the Sixties,” 163.
[2] Donald R. Wesson, “Psychedelic Drugs, Hippie Counterculture, Speed and Phenobarbital Treatment of Sedative-hypnotic Dependence: A Journey to the Haight Ashbury in the Sixties.” Journal of Psychoactive Drugs. 43, no. 2 (2011): 154.
[3] John Robert Howard, “The Flowering of the Hippie Movement.” Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. 382, no. 1 (1969): 47.
[4] F. Davis and L. Munos, “Heads and Freaks: Patterns and Meanings of Drug Use Among Hippies. 158.
[5] John Robert Howard, “The Flowering of the Hippie Movement, 50.
[6] F. Davis and L. Munos, “Heads and Freaks: Patterns and Meanings of Drug Use Among Hippies. 158.
[7] John Robert Howard, “The Flowering of the Hippie Movement, 52.
[8] F. Davis and L. Munos, “Heads and Freaks: Patterns and Meanings of Drug Use Among Hippies. 158.
[9] Donald R Wesson, “Psychedelic Drugs, Hippie Counterculture, Speed and Phenobarbital Treatment of Sedative-hypnotic Dependence: A Journey to the Haight Ashbury in the Sixties,” 159.
[10] John Robert Howard, “The Flowering of the Hippie Movement, 51.
[11] Donald R Wesson, “Psychedelic Drugs, Hippie Counterculture, Speed and Phenobarbital Treatment of Sedative-hypnotic Dependence: A Journey to the Haight Ashbury in the Sixties,” 163.
Pictures
[12]Psychedelic drugs and the law. San Francisco: STASH Press for the Haight-Ashbury Free Medical Clinic, 1967.
[13]"Haight Street ." The Haight Ashbury Home Page. http://www.lovehaight.org/links/san_francisco_attractions.html (accessed December 17, 2013).
[14]"Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out – Timothy Leary at Cal Poly." Photos from the Vault. http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/slovault/2009/04/turn-on-tune-in-drop-out-timothy-leary-at-cal-poly/ (accessed December 17, 2013).
[15]"What's on the 6th floor?." : Season of the Witch at San Francisco Public Library. http://sfhcbasc.blogspot.com/2012/11/season-of-witch-at-san-francisco-public.html (accessed December 17, 2013).
[13]"Haight Street ." The Haight Ashbury Home Page. http://www.lovehaight.org/links/san_francisco_attractions.html (accessed December 17, 2013).
[14]"Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out – Timothy Leary at Cal Poly." Photos from the Vault. http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/slovault/2009/04/turn-on-tune-in-drop-out-timothy-leary-at-cal-poly/ (accessed December 17, 2013).
[15]"What's on the 6th floor?." : Season of the Witch at San Francisco Public Library. http://sfhcbasc.blogspot.com/2012/11/season-of-witch-at-san-francisco-public.html (accessed December 17, 2013).