This is an enormously important move on Dr. Halpern's part.

I recently finished reading "Higher Wisdom: Eminent Elders Explore the Continuing Impact of Psychedelics" by Roger N. Walsh and Charles S. Grob.

This book consists of a series of interviews with some of the most preeminent philosophers, researchers, therapists and physicians in the 50's and 60's who utilized LSD and other psychedelics in their work.

What is both stunning and tragic about this period is what was being discovered about the effectiveness of psychedelics in many areas of human psychology, creativity and healing.

The tragedy was the extreme overreaction against the desire to achieve states of consciousness that society in general couldn't begin to grasp--and were in fact quite frightened of.

I blame a good part of this on the egoism and iconoclastic nature of Dr. Timothy Leary, who scared the bejesus out of the staid 50's generation of parents who were "freaked out" about what they viewed as a crumbling society with lawless and vocal minorities and out-of-control young people. The result of all this was the conservative Presidency of Richard Nixon which convinced the United Nations to outlaw the use and research of all psychedelics throughout the world.

That was in 1970 and since then, mostly through the amazing work and dedication of Rick Doblin and MAPS, has the veil of darkness and ignorance been lifted just a bit.

One could even dare to hope that we are not too far from the day when we will once again legally be allowed to explore the incredible and ineffable worlds opened to us by entheogenic substances--and that the forty year "dark age" will be looked at as merely a blip in the 40,000 year old need for mankind to discover what lies just behind the shadows of reality.

I was under the impression Halpern turned in a bunch of the Psychedelic Underground to the Feds in order to ensure his "work" could continue. I also heard he stole work from colleagues like Andrew Sewell. To be honest, I have heard nothing but bad shit about Halpern. I don't think he should be lauded or commended if in fact these and other very nefarious allegations are true. I think Rick Doblin deserves most of the credit, not Halpern.

Charles Shaw

Evolver/Reality Sandwich

Somewhere between unchecked boundless optimism and complete hysterical suppression is a good place for this to be right now. Cluster headaches are so debilitating and hellish that its not likely to cause much harm and a few other things might be discovered at the same time. Halpern's past motives were quite likely self serving and partial cause for him to be allowed to pursue his field of study. Hard to say what Pickard's motivations were. LSD is a complicated substance, yes, and drug laws are draconian if not outright insane, yes indeed. Where do you draw the line? At least we can see what Halpern's up to now. I hope Pickard hasn't been conscripted to perform psychotronic mind experiments at Gitmo, its a very stranged f'd-up world.

I agree, duality is an good concept to apply to this situation. The merits of science do not guarantee any virtue on the part of those who advance it. 

I suspect that showing that cluster headaches are helped by drugs which affect serotonin is not going to advance the psychedelic cause since lots of non-psychedelics (or non-psychedelic doses) will turn out to work just as well.

Doblin and MAPS deserve much credit, but tons of less-publicised research has taken place independent from MAPS. Rick Strassman really deserves immense credit for getting things started.  He was doing human DMT and psilocybin research in the U.S. before MAPS had anything going on. Even today, there is a lot of human psychedelic research that MAPS has nothing to do with: studies with MDMA, LSD, psilocybin, salvia, and so on. You just don't hear about it since most scientists don't talk to the media until their studies are published.