A Timeline of Drugs in the USAWorld News | Politics | History | Editor | Correspondence(Copyright © 2014 Piero Scaruffi) |
1924: Heroin is banned in the USA 1937: Marijuana is banned in the USA 1943: Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann discovers the hallucinogenic effects of LSD 1953: The CIA finances a proejct named "MkUltra" to study the effects of psychoactive drugs 1953: USA psychiatrist Humphry Osmond introduces British write Aldous Huxley to mescaline 1954: Aldous Huxley publishes "The Doors of Perception", a book on hallucinogenic drugs 1959: Several Stanford students volunteer to take part in the CIA project "MkUltra" to study the effects of psychoactive drugs 1960: Timothy Leary begins a research program at Harvard Univ to study hallucinogenic drugs, and poet Allen Ginsberg is one of his first volunteers 1963: Albert Hofmann presents LSD at the World Academy of Arts and Sciences in Stockholm 1964: The Holy Modal Rounders are the first musicians to use the term "psychedelic" in a song 1964: MkUltra's alumnus Ken Kesey organizes the "Merry Pranksters" who travel around the country in a "Magic Bus", live in a commune in La Honda and experiment with "acid tests" (LSD) 1964: Timothy Leary co-authors "The Psychedelic Experience" 1965: Owsley "Bear" Stanley synthesizes crystalline LSD 1966: Timothy Leary founds the League of Spiritual Development, an LSD-based religion 1966: The 13th Floor Elevators are the first band to use the term "psychedelic" in an album title, and the Velvet Underground record an album that deals with drug abuse 1966: A three-day "Acid Test" is held in San Francisco with the Grateful Dead performing 1967: The Pink Floyd's psychedelic rock debuts 1966: LSD and marijuana are the drugs of choice at the first "Summer of Love" of the hippies in San Francisco 1967: A "Human Be-In" is held by the hippies of San Francisco 1968: LSD is banned in the USA 1970: Rock star Jimi Hendrix dies of a drug overdose 1973: The USA creates the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) 1978: USA chemist Alexander Shulgin publishes a paper on the psychotropic effects of MDMA ("ecstasy") 1986: A study shows that 9% of USA adults has sniffed cocaine at least once 1986: Ecstasy becomes the drug of choice for the "rave" culture 1988: president Reagan creates the office of "Drug Czar" to fight the traffic of illicit drugs 1989: the USA fights the drug cartels of Colombian 1990: There are more than 14 million drug addicts in the USA 2006: Marijuana is the largest cash crop in the USA ($35 billion) Dec 2012: Possession of marijuana becomes legal in the states of Washington (Seattle) and Colorado Dec 2013: Colorado becomes the first state in the USA to open recreational pot stores and regulate marijuana from seed to sale |