04/20/2024
Have a stellar psychedelic Bicycle Day! Love from the Haight.
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Two amazing souls who truly changed the world. Dr. David E. Smith, founder of the Haight Ashbury Free Clinic in 1967, reflects upon a photo of he and the "accidental" creator of L*D, Albert Hofmann at Hofmann’s home in Switzerland in 1982.
Haight Street Voice: Tell me the story behind this photo. What was Albert Hoffmann like?
Dr. David E. Smith: I had met Albert on some panels, and of course had read all of his books: L*D, My Problem Child, etc. I was asked to give a lecture in Switzerland, and a professor at Hoffmann La Roche who worked with Albert at Sandoz set up my meeting with him in 1982.
The professor drove us to Basel, showed us the famous bicycle path, it was like a pilgrimage: “This is where it happened. This was the lab. This is where he had the psychedelic experience with L*D.”
Then we went up to Albert’s house, and he and his wife served us tea. It was a very moving experience because our Journal of Psychedelic Drugs with our name on it — my wife Millicent had co-edited an issue — was on Albert’s bookshelf. He complimented us on our work on advancing the issue of knowledge in the psychedelic area. It was a very cordial meeting.
He told us he regularly took psychedelics, and talked about his anthropological work. He felt that psychedelics allowed him to explore intergenerational issues, way back before the conscious memory. He had all these artifacts and was very much into reinterpreting these old archeological finds. He felt that the use of plant hallucinogens were a key factor in the creation of this art form. I remember he was particularly interested in the South American artifacts, which had such great impact on him.
HSV: What was Hoffmann’s energy? He looks very healthy and fit.
DD: He lived to be a 102. [born: January 11, 1906; died: April 29, 2008]
HSV: What was his vibe?
DD: Very professional, very courteous. He was friendly, not stiff. Very warm. During the second psychedelic revolution, he had been criticized, but it could not have been a nicer, more informative, positive interaction. We went out and took that photo of Millicent and my son Chris as well as the professor.
HSV: The beautiful part is that it’s a family photo, with your wife and son! Did you and Hoffmann have any conversations about taking psychedelics and what your own personal experience was with hallucinogens?
DD: I had mentioned taking L*D and how that was a factor in having a vision for the clinic. Albert was very interested in that. We talked about life-changing spiritual experiences with L*D. Albert and I had very nice correspondences after our visit. He sent me a wonderful letter, which I have framed on my wall. It was such a positive and inspiring interaction.
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Check out the Haight Ashbury Psychedelic Center: https://haightstreetvoice.com/category/haight-ashbury-psychedelic-center/
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