RIP Albert Hofmann

[Clerlic]

29. April, Albert Hofmann, inventor of the psychedelic substance LSD, passed away from a heart attack at an age of 102. After first synthesizing and accidently absorbing LSD through his fingers in 1943, Hofmann used LSD hundreds of times, last time when he was 92.


http://www.alberthofmann.org/
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/30/world/europe/30hofmann.html

What a shame, he was a great man.

[clairebear47]

Great great man.. Hope when I make it to that age I still go tripping.

The thing I find the most amusing though is the fact that he took LSD so many times and it obviously didn't affect his health to any major degree. I mean he lived to be 102 and he died from a heart attack, not some run of the mill old age kind of thing he couldn't escape but from a heart attack that could have killed him at any time through
out his life.

And 92 for his last trip. That is what I call dedication.

[Salmoness]

God, can you imagine what a 92-year-old guy on acid looks like??

[Ziggy St. Valentine]

God, can you imagine what a 92-year-old guy on acid looks like??

Probably like Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas with walking sticks?
RIP

[Marijuana]

Hard drugs aint good, mkay.

102, that's pretty good for a druggy.

[BKS]

I remember hearing somewhere that he called LSD his "problem child". Kind of had a love-hate relationship with it I guess.

[Clerlic]

He loved LSD because he believed that it could change the world for good, but he also didn't like that it gained such popularity in the teenage culture which made it illegal etc. since you need to be prepared before taking it.

And Marijuana, LSD isn't considered a hard drug.

[Tweek]

Wow, he lived a long time.
He should have spent his last few years tripping non stop.
It's not like he hadn't had a good run.

[Mr. Crow]

Yeah, he believed that LSD had many proactive uses and could be a potent force for good. He was disappointed that it came to be known only as a means to get high, and he rallied for his entire life to legalize LSD. I sort of feel sorry for him, dumb teenagers eager to get high always ruin everything.

[HappyPalooza]

What exactly are these intentions of his that LSD would be used for the good of mankind, out of curiosity? He seemed so passionate about it.

[TheHighwaySong]

Yeah I heard about this yesterday. He was actually a good man! Just, LSD got in the hands of the wrong people. But this is further proof that LSD isn't a horrible drug, it's just the majority of people who have made themselves examples of it being bad. I could be wrong, and it could be a myth, but wasn't LSD used as a truth serum by the Nazis?

[Clerlic]

What exactly are these intentions of his that LSD would be used for the good of mankind, out of curiosity? He seemed so passionate about it.

I think to understand that, you need to read his book, "LSD - My problem child". You can read it online for free.

[HappyPalooza]

I think to understand that, you need to read his book, "LSD - My problem child". You can read it online for free.

Aw man, reading's for jerks. Can someone just give me the gist of it?

[Idioteque]

Its a shame, he really invented something that could have been used for good, but it was taken as another way to just get high.
I am really not surprised he lived that long, as he probably knew how to take it safely and it also was probably 100% pure LSD.

[Marijuana]

He loved LSD because he believed that it could change the world for good, but he also didn't like that it gained such popularity in the teenage culture which made it illegal etc. since you need to be prepared before taking it.

And Marijuana, LSD isn't considered a hard drug.

strange, here ( Amsterdam, the Netherlands) it is.

[Ziggy St. Valentine]

Yeah I heard about this yesterday. He was actually a good man! Just, LSD got in the hands of the wrong people. But this is further proof that LSD isn't a horrible drug, it's just the majority of people who have made themselves examples of it being bad. I could be wrong, and it could be a myth, but wasn't LSD used as a truth serum by the Nazis?

Don't think so. They did however use a form of methamphetamine to keep their soldiers awake for long amounts of time, and Hitler was given daily injections of meth by his personal doctor for some 'health problem'.

[Chad625]

Hmm I wounder if the LSD had any affect of him living that long?

[clairebear47]

HappyPalooza its your lucky day
Hofmann and his scientific colleagues hoped that LSD would make an important contribution to psychiatric research. The drug exaggerated inner problems and conflicts and thus it was hoped that it might be used to recognize and treat mental illnesses like schizophrenia.

[Kenneh]

Great great man.. Hope when I make it to that age I still go tripping.

The thing I find the most amusing though is the fact that he took LSD so many times and it obviously didn't affect his health to any major degree. I mean he lived to be 102 and he died from a heart attack, not some run of the mill old age kind of thing he couldn't escape but from a heart attack that could have killed him at any time through
out his life.

And 92 for his last trip. That is what I call dedication.

What you do not seem to realize is that LSD doesn't cause any long term health effects at all. You could take 100 blotters at once, for everyday of your life and there would be very little physical effects, only psychological ones where you're tripping so fucking hard.

Don't try the 100 blotters at once thing though, that would most likely scare the fuck out of you.

[HappyPalooza]

HappyPalooza its your lucky day

Thank you. Seems to make sense, I really do feel bad for the guy.

[John Travolta]

What a shame, he was a great man.
I don't understand why he was. He created a widely abused drug that has ruined lives and killed many people. Yeah, great guy.

Thank you. Seems to make sense, I really do feel bad for the guy.

Why do you feel bad for him? He lived until he was 102. Do you think he died too soon or something?

[HappyPalooza]

Why do you feel bad for him? He lived until he was 102. Do you think he died too soon or something?

Because he made something he thought would help mankind but then everyone was like, "Cool a new way to trip!" And he spent the rest of his life fighting to legalize something that was seen as nothing more than a way to get high. All that time just seems like a waste. The visualization of a sad little old man standing around with a picket sign by himself, with the exception of a couple of druggies, is depressing.

[John Travolta]

I guess he died happily, knowing that millions of impressionable teenagers use a dangerous drug that he invented every year.

[Clerlic]

That's kinda like saying that Einstein was a sad old man with a sign saying "E=mc^2" because his inventions allowed a nuclear bomb. LSD wasn't just a way to get high, it could be used to treat alcoholism (50% success in tests, AA gets only 10%), and a great way to explore ones mind, it can also bring out some old memories. It also apparently helps people with cluster headaches (the worst headaches there are) a lot, people have reported the headache attacks stopping for several months.
LSD is a wonderful tool, only if used correctly, like safe sex. Those teenagers abused it, but I've never heard of anyone ruining their lives because of LSD, could be a mix of it with other drugs, though. He knew about the abuse of the drug, but it wasn't him who popularised it, neither he liked the fact that it was so popular. Even Bill Gates III has used LSD, it came up during a playboy interview.

[RandomLoserr]

Good for him, he lived a long time.

[charcoal]

Pure LSD, used safely, never killed anyone. Most synthetic drugs are totally safe as long as you know what you're doing.
That is why I think drugs education in schools shouldn't just be "don't do drugs", but (obviously whilst emphasising that certain drugs are illegal, and explaining why they're illegal) people ought to be told how to take them safely, and to make sure you know what they're cut with.

[Clerlic]

Pure LSD, used safely, never killed anyone.

Exactly, that's why I've never used LSD, it's most probably going to be something else like DOB, which is far more harmful.

[xkittenxsocksx]

You were a great man, my sincere condolences to his family. God will always be with you along your journey into the afterlife.

[Gratisgulasch]

Exactly, that's why I've never used LSD, it's most probably going to be something else like DOB, which is far more harmful.

I've never heard of DOB until now, but that sounds really impressive:
According to Shulgin, the effects of DOB typically last 18 to 30 hours.
Source: wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2%2C5-dimethoxy-4-bromoamphetamine)

A trip lasting for more than a day...that's just crazy.

[John Travolta]

Exactly, that's why I've never used LSD, it's most probably going to be something else like DOB, which is far more harmful.

I'm talking about the effects of LSD that kills you. LSD makes you feel invincible and people have died while on LSD by jumping off of buildings and shooting themselves in various places, etc.

[Tyler_Legrand]

Looks like it wasn't LSD that killed ol' Hofmann anyhow.

[Clerlic]

I'm talking about the effects of LSD that kills you. LSD makes you feel invincible and people have died while on LSD by jumping off of buildings and shooting themselves in various places, etc.

You're confusing it with PCP or something else.
I've searched internet for these things, and found that there have been only 2 confirmed deaths resulting from LSD, and LSD only. They include one guy given a large dose of LSD without him knowing as a part of military experiment, he thought he went crazy and walked out the window. Another one has a guy injecting himself with a 300 mg dose, that is more than a 1000 times bigger than a typical dose injected intravenously (LSD is taken orally).
Both of those cases are improper use of the substance. There have also been studies involving psychosis, where hundreds of mental patients and normal people were given LSD, none of the sane people had a psychosis, and only about 1% of the loonies did.
Everything else were either results of drug combination, different drug altogether or an urban myth to scare people off, like the chromosome thing in the 60's.

[Inconceivable]

One of the most brilliant/influential people of the past 100 years. RIP

[prf007]

There aren't any known side affects, short term or otherwise, of LSD. Physical that is. You can, however, have unexpected flash backs to when you were tripping...like my math teacher. People have done things like jump off buildings, shoot themselves, etc only because of delusions of grandeur. That's why you have someone to watch you while you're tripping so you don't seriously injure yourself. But yeah, I'm gonna go drop some acid now.

[Jiggz]

I love this, a bunch of kids who have in all likelihood never even touched the shit are arguing about LSD.

Anyway, thanks for the awesome times Mr. Hofman.

[Clerlic]

I love this, a bunch of kids who have in all likelihood never even touched the shit are arguing about LSD.

Anyway, thanks for the awesome times Mr. Hofman.

Nobody's arguing, there are just facts and myths. And besides, shrooms are very similar to LSD and in Europe, you can easily order them online, unlike LSD which I've never even seen and will never use unless I know that it is 100% acid and nothing else.

Anyways this thread isn't about which drugs people use, it's about Hofmann.

[CnGy]

I guess he died happily, knowing that millions of impressionable teenagers use a dangerous drug that he invented every year.

trolling is fun right?

but you should at least do it better. because it's pretty OBVIOUS that he was upset about the abuse of it.

[prf007]

I love this, a bunch of kids who have in all likelihood never even touched the shit are arguing about LSD.

Anyway, thanks for the awesome times Mr. Hofman.

Ooo look at me I take hardcore drugs and I know no one else here does, Im soo badass. My name is Jiggz, professional gangsta.

SHIT I SHOULD HAVE JUST KNOWN BY YOUR AVATAR.

Oh and I originally forgot, RIP Mr.Hoffman.

[Mr. Crow]

Ooo look at me I take hardcore drugs and I know no one else here does, Im soo badass. My name is Jiggz, professional gangsta.

SHIT I SHOULD HAVE JUST KNOWN BY YOUR AVATAR.

Oh and I originally forgot, RIP Mr.Hoffman.

He lives in fucking South Africa and they will fucking kill you and shit, give him props.

Also, I think you proved his point.

[Mirrorman]

I'm gonna do some just to show the man some respect for creating awesome stuff like that :patriot:. Also fucking 102 years? Thats really a lot.

[John Travolta]

I love this, a bunch of kids who have in all likelihood never even touched the shit are arguing about LSD.

Anyway, thanks for the awesome times Mr. Hofman.

You don't need to get shot in the head to understand that guns are bad. And please stop again with this idiotic enticing an argument bullshit.

[Tweek]

But you do need to understand what a gun does.

[Gilligan]

I wonder how long the guy who invented crack lived.
But 102 years? Only? What a quitter. I'm shooting for at least 112.

[Jiggz]

You don't need to get shot in the head to understand that guns are bad. And please stop again with this idiotic enticing an argument bullshit.

Is being a hypocrite something you practice? How come it's ok for you to make edgy comments but as soon as someone else does you get all uppity like a little girl who just got told she has small titties.

How many times have you taken LSD? Like I said John, reserve your opinion on subject matters you know little about, which at this point in time is pretty much everything.

USER WAS PUT IN TIMEOUT FOR THIS POST. (http://forums.explosm.net/eventlog.php)
Reason: I don't know what your problem is. They weren't discussing how many times they've done LSD, just their research. Grow up.

[frescoSteph]

Every ounce of me hopes I dont live to be 102. But if he was cool with it, I'm cool with it. LSD is usless anyways.

[Inconceivable]

Every ounce of me hopes I dont live to be 102. But if he was cool with it, I'm cool with it. LSD is usless anyways.

Your kidding right?

Of all the drugs out there LSD would have to most creative use.
Ever try painting a picture while on PCP? doesn't work that well.

[CnGy]

Nobody's arguing, there are just facts and myths. And besides, shrooms are very similar to LSD

Wow. They so aren't.

Not at all really, aside from the fact that they're both hallucanigens.

Mushrooms are way more mental. LSD is far stronger imo. I'd rather do shrooms because you can eat them slowly.

Edit: Lol@JT