Journal
SOCIAL HISTORY OF MEDICINE
Volume 34, Issue 2, Pages 399-416Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1093/shm/hkz128
Keywords
LSD; LSD psychotherapy; Norway; psychedelics; war on drugs
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During the early-to-mid 1960s, there was widespread use of LSD in psychotherapy in several countries, but skepticism regarding its therapeutic efficacy began to grow among key figures in the Norwegian healthcare system. This skepticism increased as new youth subcultures emerged in the mid-1960s and the 'war on drugs' shifted drug policy.
In the early-to-mid 1960s, there was considerable use of LSD in psychotherapy in several countries. However, its use gradually levelled off. Two explanations have been suggested: The first revolves around a 'moral panic' in the wake of the introduction of cannabis and LSD by subcultural youth groups. The second focuses on the lack of proof for the therapeutic efficacy of LSD at a time when double-blind designs became the gold standard. Using available sources, we explore the Norwegian case. Both explanations are supported: Even before illegal drug use had taken root in youth subcultures, scepticism was gradually building among key figures in the Norwegian healthcare system due to lack of evidence for therapeutic efficacy. This scepticism only increased when the new youth subcultures became visible in the mid-1960s and when the 'war on drugs' transformed the drug policy.
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