LSD: THE FIRST 50 YEARS Since even TMA wasn't familiar with the Albert Hofmann Foundation, I must assume that its fame and its message of mind expansion haven't quite transcended the boundaries of LA yet. Not that I'm terribly surprised, mind you; after all, the AHF is a brand new outfit, inaugurated less than six months ago. The AHF is without exaggeration the single most valuable source of information on psychedelics in the world today. This non-profit foundation is entirely funded from private donations and is therefore independent of any religious, institutional or governmental surveillance. One of its primary functions is educational, to make its resources available to the public. I consider this a most valuable service, having faced the sorts of very rude censorship moves against most things psychedelic that I have come across in such venerable places as the UCLA biomed library, among others. One of the current goals of the AHF is to spread the word of its existence in order to reach those people whose lives might benefit from taking advantage of the services it offers. Lucky for you, as a volunteer AHF associate, I'm here to do some spreading of words. First, let's take a look at the man who started it all: Albert Hofmann: a short bio... Albert Hofmann (1906- ), now retired as Director of Research for Sandoz Laboratories, Ltd., a Swiss pharmaceuticals company, is best known for his study of ergot, a substance derived from a rye fungus. From it, he produced, quite accidentally, lysergic acid diethylamide- 25, LSD for short. Tested on mice in 1938, the substance failed to arouse interest among pharmacologists and physicians, so it was shelved. On April 16, 1943, however, Hofmann repeated the synthesis of LSD-25, but was forced to suspend his work and proceed home because of the onset of "a not unpleasant intoxicated condition, characterized by an extremely stimulated imagination." Thus Hofmann embarked on the first recorded acid trip in history. Three days later he decided to systematically study the unexpected mental effects; he started by ingesting O.25 milligrams of the substance, an enormous dose in LSD terms. Feeling much disoriented he pedaled home once again, experiencing one of the most memorable bicycle rides in history. Hofmann subsequently participated in LSD sessions with some of the most distinguished European writers and philsophers. Hofmann's genius in organic chemistry was reconfirmed in 1958 when he synthesized psilocybin, the active ingredient in Mexico's magic mushroom. This was the drug used in the first two years of the Harvard Psychedelic Research Project, directed jointly by Timothy Leary, Ph.D., Ralph Metzner, Ph.D. and Richard Alpert, Ph.D. (aka RamDass). Hofmann believed in supplying psychedelic substances to qualified researchers for further study and the Harvard Project symbolized the first concerted effort by a group of American psychologists to use a psychedelic substance as a tool in the study of the human mind. The inevitable clash with the scientific mainstream-establishment at ultra-conservative Harvard and the subsequent dismissal of all faculty and graduate students associated with the project not only illustrated the silly power politics that govern academia, but the tenets of American psychology in the 60s, which simply discounted as irrelevant the human mind as a determinant of free will and behavior. Largely as a consequence of the highly politicized and paranoid reactions of government and lawmakers, psychedelic substances have been barred from legal scientific study in most parts of the world. The AHF was created in 1988, on the occasion of celebrating 50 years of consciousness research, research often carried out privately and insecrecy. One of the functions of the AHF is to bring to light a substantial amount of this "underground material" and to make available to the public all information, documents, research reports, art etc. that chronicle the pioneering efforts in psychedelic mind/brain exploration. The board of advisers and supporters of the AHF bring together some of the most prominent names and personalities from this pioneering psychedelic era, e.g. Oscar Janiger, Allen Ginsberg, Laura Huxley, John Lilly, Alexander Shulgin, Stanilav Grof and many others. However, one name is conspicuously absent from this list of 60s celebs, that of Timothy Leary, ex(?)-LSD guru and current philosopher-at-large. This is not an oversight, nor does it mean Leary isn't a potent player behind the scenes. There are pragmatic reasons to consider, however, and the AHF's aim of being a completely legit, squeaky clean organization for purely educational purposes, is-officially at least- not quite compatible with Leary's record and past lifestyles. "If I were trying to curry favor with the Establishment", Leary said, "I wouldn't ask me to join, either." It's but a sign of the times, that Leary's seven years spent in various state and federal penitentiaries poignantly appeared to herald future government drug policy. In this War-on-Drugs decade of the 1980s, a reactionary period of blanket prohibition, censorship and paranoid ignorance of all things psychedelic, the Albert Hofmann Foundation-and all the people who make it possible-transmit a strong, powerful message long overdue: the fact that the scientific achievement of psychedelic mind exploration is here to stay; as a matter of fact, the best is yet to come. While the man may not be 'establishment' enough to officially represent the AHF, Timothy Leary nonetheless aptly summarized the foundation's message of optimistic encouragement and a future mission at outdoor dedication ceremonies for the AHF held in July, 1988 in the Hollywood Hills: "Everything's gonna be alright, the *fun* has just begun!" For more information and/or to get on the mailing list, contact: THE ALBERT HOFMANN FOUNDATION 132 West Channel Road, Suite 324 Santa Monica, CA 90402 (213)281-8110 (message recording) Also, feel free to bug me about any questions, concerns, issues you have regarding the AHF or psychedelics in general. [Don't forget to JUST SAY *KNOW*!]