Timothy Leary, Richard Alpert (Ram Dass) and the changing definition of psilocybin.
The International journal on drug policy May 1, 2010 Colin Wark, John F Galliher 12 citations
The 1968 U.S. federal prohibition of psilocybin was largely a product of the actions of Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert, who transformed from Harvard professors into countercultural icons during the 'Harvard drug scandal.' They tested psilocybin on human subjects, attracting Harvard undergraduates and condemnation from faculty and administrators. Unlike most illegal drugs, psilocybin was never linked to a threatening minority group but to privileged youth. Leary and Alpert acted as moral entrepreneurs on holy missions for young and minority Americans. Their success in changing culture made psilocybin possession criminalized under federal law in 1968, demonstrating that crusaders can shift culture even when laws attempt to control their behavior.