The Hippie Turns Junkie: The Emergence of a Type

Abstract

The past decade has seen the emergence of new and different patterns of drug abuse in the United States. Previous to the “psychedelic revolution,” abuse of drugs (other than alcohol) was largely limited to urban minorities and a Bohemian fringe. Beginning in the early 1960s, however, the use and abuse of new and nonconventional psychoactive substances became increasingly common among young people of many socioeconomic strata—most notably among the middle class. During its formative stages, the use of such drugs (primarily marijuana and LSD) was associated with what has commonly been termed a youth movement oriented toward the creation of a new consciousness. Psychedelic drugs were viewed in the esoteric sense as sacraments, and in the most mundane sense as pleasant and harmless means of enhancing one's sense of well-being. In any event, the prevalent rationalizations underlying the use of such substances were couched in philosophical terms. Psychotogens (especially LSD) were seen by many as liberating agents, aids in engendering new and better qualities of being in those who used them.