There are two excellent books on the topic which Patty has just finished: "Orange Sunshine" by Nicholas Schou and "The Brotherhood of Eternal Love (From Flower Power to Hippie Mafia: The Story of the LSD Counterculture) by Stewart Tendler and David May.
1) BEL founder John Griggs died on August 3, 1969 in the only ever documented psilocybin overdose. The only one, EVER. Does that seem weird to you? Could someone have possibly been "cleaning house?"
2) In 1966, Griggs relieved a "famous producer" at gunpoint of his stash of LSD right in the middle of a dinner party. Who was that producer?
3) On pages 9 and 174, you mention the Charles Manson Family, and then back off again. Why? Do you think that Manson may have become involved with the BEL organization in San Francisco while eating at the Living Room soup kitchen?
Patty to date has received no reply from Schou.
But wait...there's more...
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Thanks Sunset for the link:
Part 1 of an interview of Nicholas Schou:
ReplyDeleteOrange Sunshine
I didn't read the book, but the internet says John Griggs died of a psilocybin overdose.
ReplyDeleteHere is a link with a quote from the author, http://www.erowid.org/library/review/review.php?p=316
The producer is always referred to as a Hollywood producer which makes me think he is a movie producer.
Thanks rev, U R right. It was synthetic psilocybin not mescaline. Patty will fix that right now.
ReplyDeletePatty, get your drugs straight!
ReplyDeleteI remember orange sunshine at school in 1975-76. It disappeared in 76 and was replaced by purple micro-dot and then my blotter acid by the time I graduated.
ReplyDeletePurple micro.dot acid was still available in early 80"s when I began my drug use as a teen. Sorry for changing subject here. But just recently heard about Neil Young knowing Charlie think it would be interesting to hear what you guys can tell me on this thanx.
DeleteShak El, that's EXACTLY the way I remember it, and I'm from NY. LOL!!!
ReplyDeletePatty is too young to have tried O.S. but the way the story is told, sugar cubes evolved into capsules which evolved into tablets which evolved into microdots and blotter because they were smaller and easier to smuggle. Also if one were to get caught, the sentence might not be as severe since penalties were decided by weight.
ReplyDeleteHi Shak El,
ReplyDeleteThat's how I remember it too.
I went to Esperanza High in East Anaheim.....starting in its opening year in '74.
Mary Sunshine was there too.
I took O.S. in those years between '74-'76.
Then like you say it disappeared.
I remember taking what they called "barrel".
And blotters called "dragon" purple,blue,red and green.
Lots of blotters....
Hmm, yes, I remember orange sunshine and I remember the purple micro dots. Then, I remember someone giving me two pieces of a blotter acid called "window pane." I took them both. I found out later, to my regret, that each one was a 4 way hit! I still remember the experience to this very day, and not so fondly, I might add.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to report that I never had a bad trip, and there were hundreds! Gave it up around '86.
ReplyDeleteAgree mat I was 16 in 86 alota good trips and Dead shows. Only bad thing I remember about micro.dot cut with stricnine gut pains from it
DeleteFWIW, from 1981-1983 in suburban Chicago, the two types of LSD available were called "Orange Sunshine," a small orange microdot flat pill and "Purple Haze," a slightly larger purple microdot flat pill. One wonders if these, or at least the so-called "Orange Sunshine," were produced by BEL chemist Nick Sand, who was apparently operating in British Columbia at that time. On the other hand, was Leonard Pickard making LSD then too? Who knows.
ReplyDelete