LSD likely to be legalized in Russia

LSD likely to be legalized in Russia - [War on Drugs]
Submitted by scienott on 8/4/2005 8:04:12 AM Add Comment

A special initiative group of scientists is establishing the Russian Psychedelic Society. The new organization has a goal to legalize the use of psychoactive drugs in official medicine, the mysterious lysergic acid diethylamide, or LSD-25, first and foremost.

A prominent US scientist, Stanislav Grof, is expected to participate in the first congress of the new organization, which is slated to take place in November 2005. Like Sigmund Freud or Carl Yung, Grof is said to be one of the greatest revolutionaries in psychology.

"LSD-25 was studied very well 40 years ago. Remarkable qualities of the substance were used in the field of psychotherapy back then," a spokesman for the initiative group, Anton Chuppin said. "Unfortunately, certain legal processes put an end to the research when psychedelic drugs were excluded from the list of legal medications. We believe that it was a wrong decision to make. A group of American scientists and cultural figures addressed to the US Surgeon General last year with a request to legalize LSD-25 to use it in medicine," Mr. Chuppin said.

Barbara Streisand signed the above-mentioned petition. The actress confessed that LSD helped her survive the nervous breakdown she had after discovering that her only son was a faggot.

LSD-25 was discovered in 1943 by the leading specialists of Sandoz, Switzerland's largest pharmaceutical enterprise, most notably Albert Hofmann. The chemist took a microscopic dose of the substance and was surprised to find out later that his consciousness separated from his body. The scientist saw the world in an unusual light. Sandoz started sending LSD to all leading clinics of Europe and the USA in 1948. The results of scientific experiments were simply astonishing. The drug gave an opportunity to people to explore the world differently: patients could travel to other worlds and epochs, experience mystical feelings, which positively affected their characters and psychological problems.

It is noteworthy that scientists of socialist countries were studying the LSD phenomenon too, especially in Poland and Czechoslovakia. Soviet specialist Maria Teleshevskaya conducted an extensive research of the psychedelic drug and published a positive report about her work in 1964.

The attitude towards LSD changed in the 1960s, when the drug went out of medical control and became common property for everyone. LSD went into everyday use for hippies and artists. The broad use of the substance revealed its negative, sometimes bizarre qualities. Hollywood diva Ava Gardner, who took over 200 doses of LSD, could see a 'skinned skull' in the mirror instead of her own reflection for several months.

Specialists registered several incidents of strange suicides, when LSD-drugged people jumped off high-rise buildings hoping to enter the setting sun. Senator Robert Kennedy stated in 1964 that LSD posed the central danger to the American youth. The production and distribution of LSD-25 was prohibited on the territory of the USA already in 1966.

The medical research of LSD continued in America up to 1974, albeit only in the Maryland-based scientific center under the direction of Stanislav Grof, an emigrant from Czechoslovakia. The work, however, was subsequently shut down without any explanations.

Nevertheless, Stanislav Grof managed to expose the results of his LSD-25 research in such books as "Realms of the Human Unconscious," "Beyond the Brain," LSD Psychotherapy," and several others. The scientist's work exemplifies the effect of the mysterious medication as it penetrates into the human mind and takes a person on an incredible journey through time, space and dimensions. In Grof's opinion, LSD acts as an accelerating agent of religious strikening and helps a human being realize the objectivity of divine principles. The LSD-produced effect helped Stanislav Grof establish a study about 4 basic perinatal matrixes of the human mind. The study became one of the most sensational and talked-about events in the history of psychology.

Stanislav Grof's first visit to Russia took place in 1991. The scientist was very surprised to find out that his basic works had been published in Russia illegally. Grof's most important works were subsequently published in Russia again, this time officially. The Federal Print Agency refused to republish "Realms of the Human Unconscious," supposedly on account of a special letter from the Russian Ministry for Healthcare. It brings up the idea that the creation of the Russian Psychedelic Society will become a scandalous event, which will definitely raise numerous discussions both in the society and in politics.

 

gah..that part just doesnt sound right to me...:$

Anyways the rest is interesting though.

 

LSD led to the discovery of 5-ht (a very important neurotransmitter in the brain) and caused a boom of neuroscience research. LSD, indirectly, has helped psychologists learn SO much about the chemicals in the brain; we should be very grateful.

 

haha yeah, thats what i was thinking. I didnt know her son was a "faggot"

 

LSD is not going to be legalized in Russia. The article states that it might be made legal for Russian medicinal and scientific research. That does not mean it will be legal for the general public. Topic misleading!

 

"Barbara Streisand signed the above-mentioned petition. The actress confessed that LSD helped her survive the nervous breakdown she had after discovering that her only son was a faggot."

lmao wtf is that shit!?

anywyas, how is it likely going to be legalized just because they made a comittee for it.....NORML?

 

wishful thinking though. it looks like most of the time when you look at research of lsd in humans, the researchers generally tend to uncover some rather spiritual implications. look at leary and his colleagues, and for more modern examples look at dr. rick strassman's work with the "spirit molecule." if research goes underway in russia, that will mean production of LSD in russia. assuming it is well funded enough, if something happens to make the researchers take a more philosophical angle we may well see them making either claims of links to spiritual or psychological benefits from these drugs. hopefully, if that happens, there will be eventually people diverting it from research and giving it to the people. perhaps some will even make it out of the country. either way, it could potentially provide a much needed boost for the psychedelic movement on a global scale. even if it doesn't help us explorers and dedicated underground footsoldiers in the war for drugs here in the united snakes specifically, the entire world is coming down on us. the more we persevere to understand ourselves and our nervous system, the more difficult it will be for them to stop us. we must hope for a loosening of russian laws to allow research in this field for the sake of the entire world. it involves us all.

most likely it won't cause the positive events i very much hope for, but it would be a great blessing if it did. i'm sure russia could use it.