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Smith JP. 
“LSD: the false illusion. Part I”. 
FDA Papers. 1967;1:10-8.
Abstract
Although drugs under adequate supervision have a powerful potential to serve mankind by alleviating pain and promoting cure for many illnesses, they have often been misunderstood and diverted to other, less constructive goals. In primitive times drugs, served religious, magical, and social needs. He who controlled the drugs, herbs, or potions was vested with magical powers making him the spiritual and sometimes the secular leader of the tribe. By ritualized practices, the tribe used drugs to promote their social goals and further their culture. Informal control of drugs ws based on habits, beliefs, customs; their complete acceptance depended on the fact that certain forms of behavior were allowed by the group, while others were not. Such taboos of primitive medicine guarded against the abuse or violation of drug practices; they embodied fold wisdom and protected the tribe.
Notes # : Bureau of Drug Abuse Control, Washington DC, USA
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