Ken Kesey is mostly forgotten now as are his Merry Pranksters, legendary characters from a bygone era, in the sixties when the world was in a state of flux. They mythologised LSD and the acid trip, searching for altered states of consciousness to elevate the human mind from its base-level addiction to violence. It was crazy stuff, and not for the faint-hearted. Now, the baby boomer’s drug of choice is statins, and the illegal drug industry has become a by-product of capitalist consumerism. Fifteen-minute guitar solos on the pentatonic scale out of your head on acid have long gone, as has the extended drum solo that was endured and appreciated rather than enjoyed. The Dead were Grateful. For the survivors, Death is imminent.
That circus has left town and there is a new set of jugglers and clowns in town. The vendors are toting semi-automatics, white powder is ubiquitous, even at the heart of power and in the toilets of 10 Downing Street, the seat of the UK government. Cartel money saved the banks from collapse in 2007.
The baby boomers grew up and grew old, retiring for the most part to the suburbs where they watched their kids become a mystery to them, Generation X and Millennials on a mission. No more dancing in the moonlight, and the mood music became sombre and marinated in nostalgia. The police have mostly turned a blind eye to the domestic weed grow in the potting shed, a medicinal remedy for arthritis. Weed may be the devil’s own but it does wonders for arthritic pain. In the past few years, there has been a resurgence of interest in LSD microdosing. Microdosing is the practice of taking a very small dose of LSD, usually 10 micrograms or less. This is enough to produce subtle changes in mood and perception, but not enough to cause any hallucinations or other major changes in consciousness. Many people who have tried micro-dosing report feeling more creative, productive, and energetic. Some even say it helps them with anxiety and depression, as well as reduce the memory impairment that comes with age.
Grandparents are scoring LSD again, turning to their grandchildren to source their gear. Some are turning to the dark web, for micro-doses. Oldies are leaning about bitcoin and cryptocurrency to fund their micro-dosing habits as well buying the testing kits that measure quality and dosage. It’s illegal and micro-dosing is still a walk on the wild side.
The War on Drugs curtailed much of the research into psychedelics starting in the late 1960s. In the last five to 10 years, as the War was lost, research has been renewed , and many medical centers are conducting legal research on psychedelics, not only LSD, a compound, but also the natural substance Psilocybin used for centuries by indigenous peoples. Evidence shows that psychedelics are safe in low dosages, more so than many of serotonin and dopamine enhancers promoted by Big Pharma.
The problem with Psilocybin is that it is a compound produced by almost 200 species of fungi (mushrooms), and these mushrooms must come from a trusted source. The wrong type of mushroom – and there are many types of mushrooms in nature that can look quite similar to each other – can mash up your liver, causing severe illness or even death.
Advocates of micro-dosing are urging governments to decriminalise LSD , which would reduce the risk of overdosing which can have traumatic effects on the psyche, the bad trip, and Psilocybin
Some psychedelics may become fully legalized — for medical usage, under supervision — within the next few years, specifically psilocybin. Public health experts believe that the safety of these psychedelics would be enhanced if they were decriminalized, and if their cultivation and production were monitored and regulated. At least one state (Oregon), and many cities around the country, have decriminalized psychedelics at the local level.
Is it ever possible that scoring your micro-dose of psychedelics might be as simple as taking a trip to your nearest suburban pharmacy without having to go down the rabbit hole of the dark web? Big Pharma is actively funding medical research and where Big Pharma goes, the Law invariably follows.
The scientific research looks promising. Recent studies suggest that psychedelics could fill a gap in mental health care for veterans suffering from PTSD. Micro-dosing has been shown to increase social awareness and stimulate a sense of belonging. Many elderly patients have reported feeling more connected to the world, less isolated. California is currently debating a law that would effectively decriminalise certain psychedelics.
Granny will once again take a trip – legally this time.
Photo by Malcolm Lightbody on Unsplash