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THE DRUG SCENE I
By Mike McCulley
The LSD Story....
Seventh of a Series
Until more is known about the
short- and long-term effects of
LSD, as well as how to predict
who will have a bad experience,
’’lost medical authorities will
consider it a very dangerous drug.
Df. Dana L. Farnsworth,
writing in the JOURNAL OF
am E R ICAN MEDICAL
association (Sept., 1963),
Approached this viewpoint. He
reported that accumulating
day-to-day experience with
Patients suffering the
consequences of the hallucinogens
demonstrates that these drugs
have the power to damage the
individual psyche, indeed to
'^ripple it for life. "There is," he
stated, "as yet no basis for
•dentifying persons for whom the
drugs are safe or for whom the
drug will take into a long, perhaps
Permanent, psychosis. Indeed, the
®'rect of the drugs upon any one
'Pdividual appears to vary from
°ne ingestion to the next."
At the Los Angeles County
General Hospital, Dr. Walter Tietz
indicated that two-thirds of those
treated end up in an extended
Psychosis which means lengthy
institutionalization.
LSD is the most dangerous of
illicitly available drugs,
iiicluding narcotics, according to
*he New York County Medical
^ciety.
Bellevue hospital studies
Dr. William Frosch, Professor of
^ychiatry
Lin
at New York
iversity, has reported some
||ndies conducted at Bellevue
dspital. He related that
°®casional prolonged psychotic
episodes have occurred despite
•niination from the experiment
° psychotic or paranoid
Personalities and despite the
^i^ject's knowledge of the
P Vsical presence of an observer.
g^|n a study conducted by
“ellevue Hospital, three of eleven
^^'unts who developed extended
Vchoses were felt not to have
neen
LSD.
In
psychotic before taking
were
underlying
schizoid
another fifty-two cases
. udied there, only twelve
Pnd to have had
^Vchoses or
Personalities.
are users dangerous?
^ E^eaction to the drug is
^Predictable. Some become
*P99P5*iL>IP. or confused.
^ Pers may interpret a command
an attempt to assist as an
g^ek. The full range of human
l^otions from peace to panic has
en experienced by users. Most
Pol
Off
'ce departments caution their
'oers to use extreme care when
IjPoiing into contact with a person
Ppd,
®r the influence of LSD.
IS ATTRACTED TO
I Who
LSd?
-^r. Cohen of THE BEYOND
PHlN stated that unfortunately
who are high-risk candidates
A mind-shaking drug like LSD
Ij® niore likely to be attracted to
j- *Lian others. These are
Q^jnature, unstable people. Dr.
df states, who misuse other
Ejeen getting
difficulties, and much of the
firse publicity has concerned
individuals, (according to Dr.
i- Eroin Dr. Ungerleider and Dr.
Of
Jher'
s book (THE PROBLEMS
P'SO
LSD AND
'6e|
EMOTIONAL
RDER) we find that they
the drug has particular
^Action to the adolescent. Most
f^|®scents are struggling with
'Pgs of aggression sexuality
ij the need to establish an
Ptity. Many of them see LSD
as offering a "magic solution" for
these struggles.
LSD, they report, provides an
intense introspective experience
to the adolescent, and enables him
to deny feelings of aggression and
sexuality at the same time that it
gives him "membership" in the
group of LSD users with a
common language and dress.
The doctors report that no
longer is LSD just a promising
psychological research tool, but
that it has been taken up by a
large underground cult. Starting in
artistic, Bohemian, and
intellectual circles, the cult has
now become entrenched on many
college campuses.
DOES LSD ENHANCE
CREATIVITY?
The article mentioned earlier
by Dr. Farnsworth also examined
the claims of LSD as an
intellectual stimulant. As far as
the claim that the hallucinogens
"free" the mind for creative work.
Dr. Farnsworth states that up to
now there has been a large
amount of rhapsodical talk and
writing, but no responsible proof.
Another chronic difficulty with
LSD is what has been termed
"perceptual distortion." This
refers to a subjective feeling of
improvement concomitant with
an objective loss of functioning.
For example, a band leader
reported his drummer was
producing such terrible music that
patrons were unable to dance to
the band's music. Nevertheless,
when interviewed, the drummer
said he felt he was playing "like
Gene Krupa" and was more than
satisfied with his music. It has
been found that LSD users appear
to have actually suffered a loss of
their ability to discriminate and to
observe.
SIDE EFFECTS OF LSD
Drawing from Dr. Cohen's
book, we find both acute and
chronic side effects, whose
occurrence cannot be predicted.
Psychiatric interviews and
psychological testing do not
screen out adverse reactors. Some
of the worst reactions, according
to Dr. Cohen, have been in
persons, often physicians and
other professionals, who appeared
stable by every indicator.
Conversely, others who have had
past histories of severe psychiatric
problems and have been leading
marginal existences have seemed
to tolerate LSD without ill effect.
Dr. Cohen reported that there
is some work to show that persons
who place a premium on self
control, planning, caution, and
impulse restriction, and who
sacrifice spontaneity, do
particularly poorly on LSD.
ACUTE SIDE EFFECTS
Four major types of acute
symptoms have been seen. These
include, in decreasing frequency,
hallucinations, anxiety to the
point of panic, severe depression
with suicidal thoughts or
attempts, and confusion. "These
symptoms may occur in patients
who have taken the drug once or
sixty times," said Dr. Cohen.
LASTING EFFECTS
An effect of LSD that has been
noticed quite frequently and is
particularly striking is a dramatic
shift in one's value system. Many
persons after using LSD are no
longer interested in working or
playing what they call the "ego
games" of society. (Dr. Timothy
Leary in PLAYBOY, Sept., 1966,
called ego games, "The tribal
game.... mechanized,
computerized, socialized,
intellectual, televised.
sanforized.") In other words,
conformity, work, and
organization as well as materialism
are all called "ego games" by LSD
users. LSD users often leave their
families and become quite
withdrawn, devoting most of their
time to thinking, writing, and
talking about LSD. They take
quite literally Dr. Leary's
admonition to "turn on, tune in,
and drop out."
Dr. Cohen reports one man
spent two years wandering around
the desert with a pack on his back
contemplating the experiences of
LSD. Three years before, he had
been an international lawyer in
New York City.
Some students, after taking
LSD, became less interested in
their academic work and preferred
to spend their time "thinking kind
thoughts." There have been
formerly productive persons who
have adopted the attitude that
one should live merely for
subjective introspective
experiences and not play the
various "games," (for example,
work) that society demands. Since
many people who experience this
change of attitude are never seen
by psychiatrists. Dr. Cohen states
one can onely speculate as to their
frequency.
IS LSD ILLEGAL?
LSD is classified as a dangerous
drug, and its use is governed by
the restrictions contained in
regulations of the Food and Drug
Administration. Most offenses
involving LSD are felonies,
although in some states mere
possession in small quantities is a
misdemeanor.
Violations of Federal law are
processed by the Bureau of Drug
Abuse Control in the Food and
Drug Administration and the
Justice Department's Bureau of
Dangerous Drugs and Narcotics.
Teacher Of
Excellence
To Be
Nominated
By Marlene Whitley
Which instructor here is so
exceptional that he deserves
special recognition and a material
thank you for his dedication?
Each year, the North Carolina
National Bank awards the title
Teacher of Excellence to an
outstanding UNCC professor.
Nominations for this year's
recipient run from April 20 to
May 1. Any student, faculty
members, or administrative
member may nominate.
Forms will be available in each
division office, in the library, and
in the Union. Nominations should
be placed in boxes located in the
liberal arts complex. Smith
Ixiilding, the library, and the
Union.
A committee of five students
and four faculty members will
choose the recipient(s). Dr. Seth
Ellis will serve as chairman.
Other committee members are
Dr. Bonnie Cone, Dr. James
Matthews, Mr. Barbara
Goodnight, Bud Stewart, Charlie
Brown, Mike Ridge, Tony
Bassinger, and Michael Stockton.
A banquet October 2 will
announce the recipient and honor
the entire faculty with an evening
of orchestra music and dancing.
Wednesday, April 15, 1970 THE CAROLINA JOURNAL Pages
Times, They Are A’
>;■ by mike mcculley
Changing....
those reports about LBJ swimming in the
White House pool m the nude for his health? RMN is a bit more
conservative. When he opened his refrigerator door and saw the salad
dressing, he called the FBI and had Mrs. Filbert added to the list of
subversive organizations....
Automation Problem can you imagine what would happen if
Searle recalled a batch of birth control pills to replace a defective part
like General Motors does? The mind reels....
Sobering Thought.... getting drunk is old-fashioned....
Jurisprudence Milestone.... so now they can tie and gag a defendant
in a courtroom? Now I know why they call it being admitted to the
bar... and rope... and gag. There are sure to be a lot of cases tied up in
court now....
Campus Cops.... with all due respect to their heralded habits,
anybody who'll stand in driving rain and direct traffic just so we can
make \tto class can't be ail bad....
Veep View.... our illustrious number-two man in Washington receives
a compliipentary copy of PLAYBOY marked on the outside "Hire the
Handicapped — It's Good Business"....
I Vault.... what do you get when you cross a
lady-of-the-night and a truck? A two-ton pick-up, of course.... a virain
tninks life if just a bowl of cherries....
Silver Screen Scene.... some of those movie titles from the past might
be a different story today.... "BEN-HUR," a tale of a young boy who
vims Denmark and becomes his own sister.... "SPLENDOR IN THE
portrayal of some youngsters in a tea party
(without the cream and sugar).... "FROM THE TERRACE " a story
ab^out a voyeur's place of operation.... the list goes on but you get the
- Angie Dickinson in the Sunday
'=°'"'^ents: "A woman has to sit up
straighter when she wears a mini. She also stands and walks better
because more of her shows, all of it great for her posture. It's excellent
tor men s health, too. Men's heads turn more often because of the
mini s which also make them use their whistle muscles a lot more
Mini-skirts also make men walk a lot faster - in one direction or other."
I agree with her but she left one point. A mini shows a lot of pretty leg
on the right person. That's important, too....
Intelligence Coup, Criminal Division.... some reliable information has
It that a certain doctor and his wife attended an LSD-party the night
before strange things occurred at Fort Bragg....
Two Steps Ahead, One Back.... the title of this column is suggestive
of our era, the seventies, and the progressive aims our society must have
to survive. On occasion, events that are evidence of this shift or change
will be presented. Today, as openers, salutes to New York and Alaska
on their realistic abortion legislation. Other states should follow their
lead....
continued on page 7
• ••
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. • ■’y '1
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