Can you help me with a history project?

From the wording of your question, can I assume this interview is restricted to people who were in the United States?

For the most part yes, but if you have an interesting perspective from outside the US of what was happening in the 60s regarding counter culture and the emerging open drug community, that could be interesting to include in my project.

How old were you in 1960?
I was 8 years old in April 1960

Did you ever take LSD?
Yes

if so, when?
Various times between May 1969 and summer 1974 approx

Where?
Various places in England and Wales, mainly London and rural Wales

How did it change your perception of yourself and America at the time?
It changed my perception of myself inasmuch as I felt more open to music, art, nature, emotion, etc

It didn't really change my perception of America or my own country (the United Kingdom), except perhaps it reinforced ideas I already had about peace, Vietnam, freedom, etc.

What was you/your family's perspective on drug culture at the time?
Me: open to experiment
Family: my parents were totally opposed, my little sister too young to be involved.

Would you have considered yourself part of the counter culture movement, why or why not?
Yes, the counterculture was supplying my political and social ideas at the time.

How did you feel about the Controlled Substances Act of 1970?
I felt this Act, and similar legislation in my own country, were too harsh and punitive.

Did you think it was good or bad?
Mostly bad.

Overall, what was your perspective on the sixties?
My perspective then: a great time to be alive.
My perspective now: crazy times, crazy people.

I turned 10 in 1960

Never took LSD, I avoided drugs like the plague, they seemed dangerous for early on (however I had a booze issue).

My family both the immediate (parents) and the ones who partially raised me, were not positive about drugs. I was warned against them.

The schools warned against them. In two of the schools I attended while in New York City, there were even drug counselors. The one man had a briefcase filled with 'drugs' (actually they were props to inform us what the drugs looked like out on the streets). He came to our class and gave his lecture which many of essentially laughed off. We were a mix of invincible youth and in the other camp was woe is to befall us all. Ah, the joys of youth.

I never considered myself part of any defined group and that would include counter culture. Tended then and even now to follow my own path...often with wild abandon (and sometimes disastrous result).

The controlled substance act was a noble idea, but in reality it gave more problems than solutions. Further proof was shown in the years following the Rockefeller Drug Laws in New York State where possession of small amounts of an illegal substance led to long term incarceration for many, including first time offenders who were not dealing, just using for themselves. Some restrictions may have been necessary, however they were too strict and in the final picture it was in many ways deleterious in my view.

The 60s were a tumultuous time in many ways. There was the Vietnam War going on and a generation of baby boomers coming of age and rebelling against everything and nearly everybody.

It was a strange time as the news was showing war pictures and film and at the same time television programs were all sorts of make believe happy, where all was wonderful.

The late 60s brought about the realities of death as local boys were often dratfted...others enlisted, and many were never coming home, many others were coming home broken emotionally and often physically as well.


By the end of the 60s I had graduated high school and started college, I didn't think the Vietnam War would ever end and I was at times disillusioned by the seeming callous nature of our elected leaders and government in general.


Looking back, while it wasn't all sunshine, rainbows, gum drops and joyous romps through the country, neither was it all doom and gloom. I have used reflections upon that time to remind myself that all of life has good and bad, ups and downs.

All of the Beatles took LSD and their experiences and feelings about it are probably available using Google.