Dr. Albert Hofmann, Father of LSD, Dead at 102
Internet rumors of his passing have been confirmed for us by a friend of Dr. Hofmann's. Dr. Albert Hofmann died of a heart attack this morning at his home in Basel, Switzerland. Hofmann inadvertently discovered the effects of LSD while researching the substance in 1943. He subsequently self-administered the drug deliberately and produced the first accounts of its powerful psychedelic effects.
If you think 102 is old, just imagine how long he might have lived if he never did drugs!
Update: The above line is sarcasm. Before posting it, I asked a couple smart people if they thought anyone might misunderstand and we decided it probably wouldn't be a problem. Well, it was, and a few commenters have come away with the incorrect impression that I think Dr. Hofmann would be better off if he never used drugs. This comment explains what I really meant. I won't stop cracking jokes in the blog, but I do apologize for this one.
huh?
waddaya mean if he never did drugs, whos to say the drugs didnt keep him alive that long? is this site slipping in propaganda?
It's a joke
LSD is Hofmann's legacy. To suggest that he'd be better off having never done it is clearly absurd. Or so I thought...
I believe Hofmann
If Hofmann believed that occasional sub-threshold doses of LSD helped longevity, I trust him.
102 doesn't lie.
Otherwise...stupid joke, Scott Morgan.
Thank you, Dr. Hofmann.
Re: Scott's Joke
I'm pretty certain Scott was poking fun at drug war propagandists who are forced to reckon with the fact that there are accomplished and talented people who are avowed drug users. They typically claim that a given drug user could have been an even more accomplished scientist/business person/artist/athlete if only he or she had never "abused" drugs. I thought it was funny.
That's precisely what I meant
Thanks.
Drugs make you a loser?
"They typically claim that a given drug user could have been an even more accomplished scientist/business person/artist/athlete if only he or she had never "abused" drugs."
Perhaps (specific) drug use might be necessary for ground breaking success?
Francis Crick, the Nobel Prize-winning father of modern genetics, was under the influence of LSD when he first deduced the double-helix structure of DNA nearly 50 years ago. Crick also lived a long life at the age of 88.
spacecaps
Thank you dear Dr
RIP
thank you for all the wonderful journeys :)
lsd
like wise i love that trip ill never forget u albert
May you have a peaceful trip...
I would not be who I am today if it weren't for you, & I thank you for everything.
Albert Hofmann...
albert attributed his longevity to his daily practice of inverting himself, and swimming. he said the decompression and recirculation of these exercises were the important thing... more effective he said than hydergene which he invented and is one of the best selling geriatic medcines in europe... he also thought sub threshold doses of LSD were one of the most interesting and unexplored uses of LSD as an anti depressant...he was a daily meditator as well for many years. his latest writings are published in all of my anthologies, probing essays on the use of LSD as a tool to understand metaphysics, and on the relevance of the Eleusinian Mysteries in today's world. The books are: Entheogens and the Future of Religion, (1998) Timothy leary: Outside Looking In, (1999) and The Road to Eleusis, 20th Anniversary Edition (1998), soon to be released in a 30th Anniversary Edition...
robert forte
Albert Hofmann
Go now good Doctor, Anita awaits you in eternity.
Fuck this site's viewpoint
Fuck this site's viewpoint of Grandpa Albert!!!
What viewpoint is that?
I clearly over-estimated the ability of folks to recognize sarcasm, which is a lesson I've learned before in similar situations. I guess I should have known better and I'm sorry if anyone thought I was actually suggesting that LSD shortened his life.
For future reference, we are StoptheDrugWar.org. We oppose the war on drugs. We admire Albert Hofmann and the incredible life he lived. If something on this site sounds hostile to drug users, reread it. Maybe I'm kidding. Maybe it's a typo. But you'll never find me saying what you thought I said and meaning it.
Dr. Albert Hofmann, Father of LSD, Dead at 102
He would live until 200 if he not used LSD!
A great man and mind
Hopefully as a speices we can soon start to use these magical metaphysical gifts such as LSD, to help us with the further development and understanding of our soul and why we are indeed here in the cosmos. The future is upon us. Its about to get a whole lot more interesting. When these petty wars are extinguished, and the whole system that is designed to create billionares off the suffering of others is vanquished, when the people of this earth are able to use the plants they share this existence with freely, we will finnally be able to create the paradise that awaits us all.
Much love to all with the courage to spread there open hearts, , the well being of everyone is the ultimate goal.
No more Conflict!!!
Free Casey
Infinite Love to Albert...
www.freecasey.org
Infinite Love to Albert from freecasey.org
Infinite Love to Albert
www.freecasey.org
Don't trust anyone over 200
RIP Doc.
dose bush
someone should dose the coffee machines in the white house before Bush does his next decision making summit. His cabinet will see things differently and maybe end the foolishness.
buck fush
rogovogor
Have a nice trip, Doc!
rip....
rip....
ov_sasha
rest in peace, Doc!
RIP
Rip Dr. Albert
Dr. Albert Hofmann, a true
Dr. Albert Hofmann, a true saint of humanity. May he rest in ever loving and eternal peace. . .
MAKING the drug can be
MAKING the drug can be dangerous...
Love's Secret Domain
It was obviously a joke, people who did not understand it should be neutered.
Infinity Infinity
Eternity for you Albert.j
"With all this talk of war
"With all this talk of war on drugs, what about a drug to end the war"
Albert Hoffman, on LSD:
Dr. Albert Hoffman: "LSD is for Meditation".
Little media coverage
He was A DOCTOR,A SCIENTIST.The way you and me see it is a totally different angle,jokers
The old man had said no to Kasey,because that is wisdom.Truth is a heavy load to carry.
Recreation is damn good,but only Francis Crick saw through the drug,as far as i know
Such a man,and the media in GR hardly brought him up
Eternal Peace to the messenger of such truth
Tribute to Dr. Albert Hofmann
It was April 16, 1943, at 4:20 PM Swiss time, when the world changed forever. If time were reckoned from that date, this would be the year 65 LSD, instead of 2008 CE.
Sixty-five years of an exponential expansion of the human mind and spirit, sparked by a random event in a chemical laboratory observed by a brilliant chemist who also just happened to have the inclinations and talents of a sage and philosopher. What are the chances? There has been no single event in history that has done so much to push the human species forward and outward from its puny earth-restricted self into the great unknown.
Of course, there are those who fear and demonize the unknown. I’m sure Dr. Hofmann would just say “screw ‘em.”
Thanks from all of us, Doc.
Giordano
Every body keep your Head Up Don't Cry
RIP Albert Hofmann
Hofmann's Potion
On death, Hofmann said, “I go back to where I came from, to where I was before I was born, that’s all.”
On April 19th, 1943, Hofmann created the most powerful psychotropic substance: LSD, and experienced the first LSD “trip”. He was a chemist who valued a drug as a way to understand people’s oneness with nature. For the complete story on “Bicycle Day”, be sure to watch this amazing documentary Hofmann’s Potion
When we were pharmacy
When we were pharmacy students, our professor told us clearly: there are no bad substances, although there are a lot of stupid people and bad doses. Later on I did experimented with a lot of drugs myself. And although I am pretty sure that his was was really true, I do also know that it is really hard to keep usage under safe limit. For non-professional is it is not possible to find a safe limit for particular person and stop when it is necessarily. Therefore I would recommend to stay away from drugs and better to fill your life with some other meaning.
Drugs made me a loser
I quit drinking and drugging 8 years ago. I had just been fired for the umpteenth time, was 3 months behind on rent, up to my eyebrows in credit card debt, sore feet, sore back, sore knees, couldn't climb a flight of stairs without stopping halfway up to catch my breath. Today I owe not a dime to anybody, with plenty of money in the bank, and recently rode a bicycle 100 miles in 7 hours.
Self Responsibility
I know a person who attends a very respectable school with an immense workload who has fought off a cocaine addiction and one to painkillers who continues to smoke, "smoke" and occasionally drops acid. His GPA is above 3.0. He is able to separate drugs and their effects from his life. I am a Computer Engineering major who could not separate the two for too long and now am threatened by loss of work study and grants. Since I have met him I have consequently enjoyed the pleasures of life more and raised my own GPA at least .4 points (significant amount). You can still function while enjoying yourself. We have both written papers ( and I have done numerous technical work) successfully. As long as you get your shit done, you can enjoy yourself. My last semester contained more use of drugs and alchohol than any other semester and my GPA is higher. Sounds like you need some self discipline or a mentor.
Playing with Cid, smoking with good company and support from good friends who are always there when you need it pulled me out of a trench. I do not blame drugs for my short comings, just the lack of discipline and negative influence of others.
I do congratulate you on your achievement. I certainly wish I could ride my bike that far.
rip
peace Albert, thank you
The Love Generation
Love Survives Death
Quote by Albert Hofmann, Ph.D, summer 1997
"The use of such psychedelic drugs within a religio-ceremonial framework was discovered among Indian tribes in Mexico at the beginning and in the middle of the twentieth century". This came from the Foreward of my book titled The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants. In my view, correct dosage and balance in the use of ALL things is what it is all about and overdosing, overconsuming are the actions of stupid people. Regulate this drug war, tell that Leary bloke that his arrogance led to mass ignorance in America. 1966 was the year that Governments internationally banned LSD in response to the moral panic, combined with the number of accidents involving people jumping to their deaths thinking they could fly. Bad trips are dangerous. Today, the greed for money is the motivator behind some very shady drugs and the increased statistics for mental health proplems are co-related. Mr Albert Hofmann wanted this drug to assist with psychology healing, and to be used for GOOD, not the misrepresentation it received. Read his autobiography entitled - LSD My problem child. I have picked up his work and am a healer in the natural health industry. My fight is to fight ignorance and the only way to get to the TRUTH is with factual information. I just love this 2012 Mayan Calendar spook...
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