Second Stage of Synthetic Drugs: “The Era of Love”

📖 What’s This Paper About?

This paper examines the “Era of Love” – the second stage in the development of synthetic drugs during the post-war period of the 1960s-70s. It discusses how social and economic conditions led to the creation of new psychoactive substances (PAS) that promised novel sensations, “expanded consciousness,” and emotional openness.

Why This Matters

Understanding the historical development of psychedelic substances provides crucial context for current discussions about their potential therapeutic applications and legal status. The paper highlights how substances like LSD, DMT, and PCP were initially developed for legitimate medical purposes before their recreational use led to widespread prohibition.

• Many psychedelics began as promising medical treatments before prohibition halted research
• The counterculture movement of the 1960s-70s was significantly influenced by these substances
• Lack of clear regulatory frameworks during this period contributed to eventual blanket prohibition

Top 5 Takeaways

2. DMT: Endogenous and Exogenous

N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) was synthesized in 1931 and later discovered naturally in plants like Mimosa tenuiflora. Its psychotropic properties stem from structural similarities to serotonin. Notably, DMT is produced in small quantities by the human body during normal metabolism, yet is classified as an illegal substance in most countries.

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The Bigger Picture

The post-war “Era of Love” represents a critical chapter in our understanding of psychoactive substances. What began as legitimate pharmaceutical research into consciousness-altering compounds quickly evolved into widespread recreational use that transformed culture and society. The ensuing prohibition has only recently begun to loosen as scientific interest in these compounds’ therapeutic potential resurfaces, suggesting a complex cycle of discovery, cultural adoption, prohibition, and rediscovery that continues to shape our relationship with these powerful substances.

Final Thought

The history of synthetic psychedelics reveals how promising medical treatments can become prohibited substances through social and political forces, rather than purely scientific assessment—a lesson worth considering as modern research revisits their potential therapeutic applications.

SECOND STAGE OF SYNTHETIC DRUGS – “THE ERA OF LOVE”

M.N. Poryadina, M.V. Belova, N.P. Sadchikova

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Keywords: synthetic drugs, psychedelics, LSD, DMT, phencyclidine, psychoactive substances, drug prohibition

The post-war socio-economic situation gave rise to new psychoactive substances (PAS) that provided novel vivid sensations, impressions, “expanded consciousness,” and emotional openness. During the 1960s-70s, a large number of new synthetic PAS were created – psychedelics based on amphetamine, lysergic acid, and phencyclidine analogs. This period was characterized by the absence of clear legal principles for regulating their emergence.

LSD – d-lysergic acid diethylamide – a serotonin analog and 5-HT receptor agonist [16], was synthesized in 1938 from ergot alkaloids while searching for analeptic medications. Beginning in the 1950s, when the pharmaceutical Delysid was first produced, experiments were conducted worldwide to study consciousness and use PAS for treating various mental disorders and illnesses. Research examined LSD’s use as an analgesic for chronic pain, revealing a long-lasting (over a week) strong analgesic effect [6].

Recreational use of LSD began in the 1960s, and by 1966, approximately 4 million Americans had tried it. A wave of enthusiasm for PAS and LSD swept across America, significantly influencing the formation of the counterculture of the 1960s-70s. The out-of-control use of LSD among youth became too widespread, leading to political scandal and resulting in a complete ban on LSD for any purpose, both medical and non-medical. In the Russian Federation, LSD, like other lysergic acid derivatives, is prohibited.

N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) was synthesized in 1931 and later discovered as a component of mimosa root (Mimosa tenuiflora).

The psychotropic properties of DMT are explained by the similarity of its structure to serotonin – an important neurotransmitter in the mammalian brain. DMT is produced in small quantities by the human body during normal metabolism [4]. DMT is a psychedelic capable of causing intense visual and auditory hallucinations, altering time perception, and inducing experiences in realities different from the familiar one [5, 6].

In most countries, DMT is legally classified as an illegal substance and is prohibited. In Russia, it is included in Schedule I [1].

Phencyclidine (PCP) was synthesized while searching for anesthetics. Together with ketamine, it forms a group of dissociative anesthetic hallucinogens; it acts on glutaminergic receptors [1]. Since 1957, it was produced in the USA as an injectable anesthetic called “Sernyl.” Unlike opiates, it did not cause respiratory or cardiovascular depression. However, negative consequences of its use were quickly discovered – post-operative hallucinations, excitation, mental disorders, depressive states. As a result, its use in medical practice was limited (it was used in veterinary medicine under the name “Sernilan” until 1979) and subsequently completely banned [7].

PCP synthesis is relatively simple and can be carried out by underground laboratories using accessible chemicals as starting materials. Most of the drug in the USA comes from these sources. In 1967, PCP reached peak popularity in the illegal market, with various analogs appearing from the late 1970s [2]. The main method of consumption is smoking (mixed with marijuana, tobacco, mint). In tablet form, it is mixed with other drugs. More than 30 mixtures have been registered in illegal circulation in the Russian Federation [1, 7].

In the Russian Federation, phencyclidine and its analogs are included as narcotic substances in Schedule I.

References

This is informational, not medical advice.

Sources

Sources

1. N.V. Veselovskaya, A.E. Kovalenko. Narcotics. Handbook. M.: Triada-X, 2000. P. 151-154; 163-164.

2. P.G. Stafford, B.H. Golightly. LSD – The Problem-Solving Psychedelic. Chapter I. The LSD Crisis. URL: http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/lsd/staf8.htm (accessed 08.04.2017).

3. E. Kast. Attenuation of anticipation: a therapeutic use of lysergic acid diethylamide // Psychiat. Quart. 1967. № 41(4). P. 646-657.

4. S.A. Barker, J.A. Monti, S.T. Christian. N,N-Dimethyltryptamine: An endogenous hallucinogen // International Review of Neurobiology. 1981. V. 22. P. 83-110.

5. J. Bigwood, J. Ott. DMT // Head Magazine. 1977.

6. R.J. Strassman. DMT: The Spirit Molecule. – Rochester, VT: Park Street Press, 2001. P. 39-40, 53. URL: http://organiclab.narod.ru/books/DMT-The-spirit-molecule.pdf (accessed 08.04.2017).

7. Comparison of Sernyl with Other Drugs. Simulation of Schizophrenic Performance with Sernyl, LSD-25, and Amobarbital (Amytal) Sodium; I. Attention, Motor Function, and Proprioception // AMA Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1959. V. 1(6). P. 651-656. URL: http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/487710) (accessed 08.04.2017).