Do Drugs Have Religious Import? A 40-Year Retrospective

Huston Smith revisits his influential article on whether drugs have religious import. Drawing on personal experience, he discusses how psychedelic experiences have shaped religious traditions and contemplative practices, citing the ancient Vedic tradition, the Eleusinian mysteries, and the contemporary Native American Church. He reflects on why the 1960s psychedelic movement failed to produce lasting social change, critiques current drug policy and culture, and emphasizes the role of elders in society.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Four decades ago, Huston Smith published one of the mostinfluential articles ever written on psychedelics, titled “Do Drugs HaveReligious Import?” As part of “The Oral History of PsychedelicResearch Project,” he was interviewed and invited to revisit thistopic. The interview covers his personal experiences, as well as the influences of psychedelic experiences on religious traditions andcontemplative practices. Examples of such influences that arediscussed include the ancient Vedic tradition and Eleusinianmysteries, and the contemporary Native American Church. At the sociallevel, he reflects on factors that limited the effectiveness of the psychedelic movement of the 1960s in producing significant socialchange, the state of contemporary culture, society, and drug policy,and the role of elders in society.