Another observed effect of L.S.D. is a reduction in responsibility-that is, the individual's judgment is impaired. In our judgment now, after a careful study of the effects of L.S.D., we consider it inadvisable for an individual who takes even one dose of L.S.D. to make a major decision about himself for at least three months.
When one is under the influence of L.S.D., one can ignore the facts that were previously held to be valid and construct new beliefs, no matter how irrational. Such forms of thinking bear many similarities to psychosis. A person may feel that he has powers which he did not previously have, or that certain laws of the environment (such as vulnerability) are not operative in his case. For example, feeling omnipotent, he believes he can jump out of the window with no harmful results.
Those who are enthusiastic about L.S.D. are often given to wishful thinking. They see in their experiences only what they wish to be true above all other truths. Medical records indicate that most people now taking the drug are young, mainly between 17 and 25; but a number of older persons also turn to L.S.D, especially persons having some difficult personality conflict.
It Stops Everything
One significant statement about the use of L.S.D. was made by Freedman and Powelson in the Nation on January 31, 1966: "L.S.D. enthusiasts talk of religious conversions, the awakening of artistic creativity, the reconciliation of opposites. The main change to be observed in such individuals, however, is that they have stopped doing anything.
The aspiring pianter talks of the heightening of his aesthetic sensibilities and skills, but he has stopped painting. The graduate student who withdrew from writing his dissertation in philosophy talks of the wondrous philosophical theories he was evolved. But nothing is written. It seems that the world of fantasy has become far more compelling than external things. Indeed, fantasy is substituted for reality."
We know now that long-term psychological damage may result from L.S.D. Such damage may be glossed over by the pleasure and enthusiasm engendered by the substance, but we have seen too many cases of psychic breakdown to doubt the serious dangers of the drug. It is even possible that the brain is structurally damaged. There is recent evidence that L.S.D. attacks hereditary genes.
In short, our professional medical opinion is that playing with L.S.D. is a desperately dangerous form of "drug roulette." The medical evidence is clear. Any person taking L.S.D. runs the clear risk of psychotic breakdown and long-run physiological damage