PSYCHEDELICS

The hallucinogenic group of drugs were called "psychedelics" and affected a person's perceptions, sensations, thinking, self-awareness and emotions. It included drugs such as LSD, mescaline, psilocybin mushrooms and DMT. Some of them come from natural sources, such as mescaline which is derived from the peyote cactus. Others, like LSD, were synthetic or manufactured.

LSD

The most well-known Sixties hallucinogen, LSD, is a chemical discovered by Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann in 1938. Almost unknown to the American society of the early Sixties and still legal until 1966, LSD (Lysergic acid diethylamide) gained widespread recognition and was most commonly known as 'acid'.

LSD was originally available in tablet form, but after it was made illegal it was more often used in straight liquid form, crystalline form, as 'dots' on blotting paper, in a mixture with other drugs (e.g. dropping some onto marijuana before smoking) or a drop on a sugar cube.

An LSD 'trip' could last anything from 2 to 12 hours, when the user experiences distorted vision, impaired judgment and, often, vivid hallucinations. The frightening sensation may last just a few minutes or many hours and can vary from mildly scary to absolutely terrifying. Flashbacks can occur years after the user has quit taking LSD, where a person may experience the effects of the drug without even taking it.

Physical effects include increased heart rate and blood pressure, dilated pupils, higher body temperature, sweating, loss of appetite, sleeplessness, dry mouth and shaking. Frightening emotional and mood swings or the feeling of several different emotions simultaneously can cause the user to panic.

According to basic Hippie philosophy, LSD was an aid to users in an attempt to achieve a more peaceful existence which reduced or eliminated tendencies towards violence and war.

Marijuana / Hashish

Grass, pot or weed are common names for the crude drug made from the plant Cannabis Sativa that contains the mind-altering ingredient THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) among other chemicals found in the plant.

Though used by some as a culinary surprise, marijuana was ingested by most in the form of smoke. Users would light-up using a conventional pipe, in a hookah or bong (two types of pipes which incorporate water), or most commonly in a hand rolled form resembling a cigarette. A marijuana "joint" is made from the dried particles of the plant and the amount of THC in the plant determines the strength of the effect.

Hashish is made by taking the resin from the leaves and flowers of the plant and pressing it into cakes or slabs. Hash is usually stronger than crude marijuana and may contain five to ten times as much THC.

Some immediate physical effects of marijuana include a faster heartbeat, bloodshot eyes, and a dry mouth/throat. The drug can impair or reduce short-term memory, alter sense of time and reduce the ability to do things that require concentration, swift reactions, and coordination, such as driving a car or operating machinery.

A common bad reaction to marijuana is the "acute panic anxiety reaction" which is an extreme fear of "losing control" which, in turn, causes panic. Although these symptoms usually disappear in a few hours, long-term regular users of marijuana may become psychologically dependent.

Psilocybin

'Magic mushrooms' are a powerful, naturally occurring hallucinogenic. After picking, mushrooms are eaten raw, cooked, made into a drink, or dried for later consumption but as the body quickly develops a tolerance, continued use is unlikely.

Mescaline / Peyote

Mescaline is one of the oldest psychedelics known to man and is the major active component of the small dumpling cactus known as Peyote, which grows in the south-western United States and Mexico., its crown, or 'button', is cut from the cactus and dried into a hard brown disc. The disc, sometimes referred to as a 'mescal button', contains a methoxylated amphetamine.

Cocaine

Although not as popular as marijuana, "coke" had advantages for those who wanted to distort their perception of the world without the reddening of the eyes, coughing and general lethargy associated with "the killer weed".

Sometimes injected intravenously, but usually ingested by sniffing it up the nose, the powdered drug's general effect is similar to that of most amphetamines (also known as "speed") and allegedly produces a feeling of euphoria.