[jmacusa]

Ken Keasey and The Merry Pranksters were the real deal. Sometime after the Grateful Dead achieved success Leary tried shaking them down to the tune of about $80,000 claiming that because he, Leary had ‘’discovered’’ LSD and encouraged others to ‘’tune in, turn on and drop out’’ the Dead owed him. They laughed him off.

[Veto!]

The Province of British Colombia was interested in curing alcoholism with LSD. They funded Hollywood Hospital near Vancouver, a hospital for alcoholics except for one wing where people could volunteer for rather expensive acid trips administered by psychiatrists. NASA people, Hollywood people, found that it did boost creativity by opening up the imagination. A friend in NY asked his shrink about it, the shrink said go ahead and try. So he went and had modestly OK results. Nothing very dramatic.

“Hollywood” because the grounds were covered with holly trees. I understand it’s all been torn down and replaced with a shopping center.