Introducing LSD, 1953–1956
University of Illinois Press April 20, 2017 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.5406/illinois/9780252039195.003.0003
Summary
The chapter examines how LSD gained significant media attention through scientific studies on drugs simulating madness and Aldous Huxley's 'Doors of Perception,' which discussed mystical drug use. Journalists introduced American audiences to new drugs and the academic significance of altered mental states, leading to broader discussions in mainstream and sensational media. This shift allowed for more open descriptions of drug experiences that had previously been deemed inappropriate for public discourse.
Study at a glance
| Key finding | LSD's emergence on the news agenda was influenced by scientific studies and cultural discussions, allowing for wider public discourse on drug-induced mental states. |
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Abstract
This chapter studies the dramatic appearance of LSD on the news agenda in reports on scientific studies using drugs to simulate madness, and the concurrent discussion of mystical, mind-expanding drug use sparked by the publication of Aldous Huxley's Doors of Perception. In addressing these topics, journalists introduced American audiences to new drugs and to the use of drugs to create mental states considered to have significant scholarly and academic importance. Scholarly interest gave journalists license to describe drug states that previously had been considered inappropriate for public view. Reports in mainstream media outlets were followed quickly by even more sensational coverage in more marginal publications.