December 8, 2006

Researchers Explore New Visions for Hallucinogens

By SUSAN BROWN

After a long hiatus, medical investigators return to studying the benefits of once-banned compounds

Recently, 36 people who had never taken hallucinogens before gave them a try. The pill they took launched a daylong psychedelic journey, sometimes fantastic, sometimes frightening. When it was over, a few who took the drug said it was the most meaningful experience of their lives, as momentous as the birth of a first child or the death of a parent. Others wished never to repeat