Albert Hofmann is dead or just tripping.

[SoylentGreen]

The inventor of LSD died at 102.
Not bad for the guy who invented tripping.

Albert Hofmann, who died on Tuesday aged 102, synthesised lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in 1938 and became the first person in the world to experience a full-blown "acid trip" – that was on April 19 1943, which became known among aficionados as "Bicycle Day" as it was while cycling home from his laboratory that he experienced the most intense symptoms.

Obituary: Albert Hofmann, LSD inventor - Telegraph

PS. It almost makes me want to ride a bicycle again.

[thx1138]

He's not dead... just on the outside looking in along with Tim and Aldous.

[Nono]

Telegraph:Hofmann (...) remained convinced that the drug had the potential to counter the psychological problems induced by "materialism, alienation from nature through industrialisation and increasing urbanisation, lack of satisfaction in professional employment in a mechanised, lifeless working world, ennui and purposelessness in wealthy, saturated society, and lack of a religious, nurturing, and meaningful philosophical foundation of life".

He certainly put his finger on the problem, if not on the solution.

[grandpa]

Quote by: Nono Telegraph:Hofmann (...) remained convinced that the drug had the potential to counter the psychological problems induced by "materialism, alienation from nature through industrialisation and increasing urbanisation, lack of satisfaction in professional employment in a mechanised, lifeless working world, ennui and purposelessness in wealthy, saturated society, and lack of a religious, nurturing, and meaningful philosophical foundation of life".

Those are sociological causes of drug use, at least in the modern world. That's why, in a real enough way, drug use has become the cradle of society.

It's funny, though, how Hofmann wanted LSD available for commercial distribution. So, supposedly, people could have been cured from "materialism" and "alienation from nature" merely by taking a commercially distributed drug.

Grandpa h.

[Nono]

That's precisely why I say he identified problems without really suggesting the solution.
Anyway, his diagnosis was very cogent.

[SoylentGreen]

Have you guys ever tried LSD.
It is an amazing state of euphoria. I am wondering what kind of dosage he was suggesting that would counter the psychological problems induced by "materialism without causing other psychological problems.

[another day]

Yeah LSD is amazing... truly a beautiful experience. Rest in peace albert.

[Nono]

Quote by: SG Have you guys ever tried LSD.

Once, and it wasn't nice at all.
It isn't a panacea. (Not that Hofmann ever claimed it was.)

[SoylentGreen]

Quote by: Nono Once, and it wasn't nice at all. It isn't a panacea. (Not that Hofmann ever claimed it was.)

I have no evidence to back this up, only personal experience, but I have found that of those who have bad trips it is usually because something bad or worrying is happening in their lives.
Don't blame the drug , all it did was magnify the sh*t that was there already.

[grandpa]

Quote by: SoylentGreen I have no evidence to back this up, only personal experience, but I have found that of those who have bad trips it is usually because something bad or worrying is happening in their lives. Don't blame the drug , all it did was magnify the sh*t that was there already.

But that's why it shouldn't be regarded as a treatment of any kind. If it is to be used, it should only be for recreational purposes. And don't feed it to animals.

Grandpa h.

[SoylentGreen]

grandpa But that's why it shouldn't be regarded as a treatment of any kind. If it is to be used, it should only be for recreational purposes. And don't feed it to animals.

I believe the american army invested a lot of money and time trying to find a weapons use for the drug.

[Gods_Mercenary]

Which kind of gives more merit to the argument that it shouldn't be used for treatment or even recreation, doesn't it?

[SoylentGreen]

Quote by: Gods_Mercenary Which kind of gives more merit to the argument that it shouldn't be used for treatment or even recreation, doesn't it?

Recreation isn't to bad.
But there is a lot of similarity between tripping on LSD and being schizophrenic.
So if you have personal issues in your life it tends to exaggerate them.

[Gods_Mercenary]

Would be funny, though, imagine a company of rangers parachuting in, weapons free, they storm the compound and find all the enemy sitting saying "did you ever just look at the sky before, dude, I mean, it's really deep and stuff"

[SoylentGreen]

Quote by: Gods_Mercenary Would be funny, though, imagine a company of rangers parachuting in, weapons free, they storm the compound and find all the enemy sitting saying "did you ever just look at the sky before, dude, I mean, it's really deep and stuff"

Didn't they try that in vietnam? Selling heroin to the vietnamese to undermine them. Who in turn took the heroin and sold it back to the american soldiers.

[Gods_Mercenary]

I dunno, but drug use was certainly a problem among vietnam war soldiers. Generally, anything besides maybe some amphetamines or something else to heighten senses and energy does not make a good fighting man.

[SoylentGreen]

Quote by: Gods_Mercenary I dunno, but drug use was certainly a problem among vietnam war soldiers. Generally, anything besides maybe some amphetamines or something else to heighten senses and energy does not make a good fighting man.

Guess why you lost the war. Your troops got stoned.

[Gods_Mercenary]

Well, the reasons why they were getting stoned were a bigger reason, but ultimately they were withdrawn anyway.

[thx1138]

Quote by: SoylentGreen Didn't they try that in vietnam? Selling heroin to the vietnamese to undermine them. Who in turn took the heroin and sold it back to the american soldiers.

The reason behind the war in Vietnam was to keep the Golden Triangle out of the hands of North Vietnam and China... it was a drug war just like Columbia and Afganistan today.

Golden Triangle (Southeast Asia) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Like the British and the French the U.S. is behind the drug trade in southeast Asia and the middle-east.

[grandpa]

Quote by: thx1138 The reason behind the war in Vietnam was to keep the Golden Triangle out of the hands of North Vietnam and China... it was a drug war just like Columbia and Afganistan today.

It's true that drugs are heavily involved in Afghanistan's economy, but this terrorism called "the war on terrorism" isn't only about "combatting drugs," just like the drug war isn't only about that. It's about controlling places like Vietnam, China, Colombia and Afghanistan. It's a war against people.

Grandpa h.