Timothy Leary: Turn On . . . Tune In . . . Drop Out . . .

Timothy Francis Leary (October 22, 1920 – May 31, 1996), born in Springfield, Massachusetts, was a highly influential American psychologist and writer considered one of the most prominent figures of the 1960s counterculture, and once described by President Richard Nixon as "the most dangerous man in America.”   A hugely controversial figure during the 1960s and 1970s, Leary opening endorsed the use of LSD for its therapeutic, emotional, and spiritual benefits, and believed it showed incredible potential in the field of psychiatry.  While mainstream America–which was already reeling from the cultural impact of the Hippie movement–had assumed Leary’s views were a radical departure from the general scientific community, most were unaware that there had been ongoing experimentation with LSD for at least a decade, most visibly involving veteran actor Cary Grant who’d taken LSD more than fifty times under clinical supervision.  Read more . . .