npr:

Psychedelic drugs are getting a makeover, with scientists exploring their potential in treating debilitating conditions like cluster headaches, addiction or anxiety, with promising results.

That’s despite the fact that very few researchers are legally allowed to study psychedelics, largely because of LSD’s decades-old reputation as a counterculture drug that sparked bad trips.

Back in the 1960s, LSD was touted as a tool to shed social conventions and fast-forward to enlightenment – or as LSD advocate Timothy Leary memorably said, “Turn on, tune in, drop out.”

He was hardly the first to feel the chemical’s allure. Back in the 1930s, Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann had shelved LSD after first testing it as a treatment for heart disease. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something more to it. After accidentally ingesting a bit and having a mild psychedelic experience, Hofmann decided to go further.

For LSD, What A Long Strange Trip It’s Been

Video: Freddy Arenas for NPR

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