Thread:Comments:Owsley Stanley, icon of 1960s counterculture, dies at 76/Owsley Stanley

Many chemists and physicians consider the effects of LSD to be more or less the equivalent to pyschomotor epileptiform seizure and temporary psychosis. Having taken LSD (or whatever the substances were, I was told it was "LSD") in the naive stage of human development referred to as adolescence, long, long ago in the 1960's, I can only agree with the above description. The experiences could be extremely disturbing, or pleasantly amusing. There was no way to know for certain which would occur.

This was a lon time ago; I feel fortunate that I have had no impairment, that I know of, from having taken the chemical. In retrospect, it was as foolish a chance as I have ever taken. Many friends and acquaintances had LSD experiences from which they never fully recovered; in my opinion this particular chemical was responsible for much damage to my generation.

While those like Stanley Owsley supplied the drug, and those like Timothy Leary hyped it, I can only wonder, many years later - what motivated these people? Were they themselves naive? Opportunistic? Mistakenly altruistic? Neurotic and/or psychotic? Were they good people? Were they evil people? I'm reasonably certain that a good third of the destroyed humans living in misery and insanity on city streets are there because of the use of drugs such as LSD, as produced and profiteered by people such as Owsley Stanley, whatever his motives were. Just what sort of man was this, if I may pose the question? Just a thought.

I'd be interested in any comments.