Albert Hofmann Dies at Age 102

Albert Hofmann, considered to be the "Father of LSD", died on Tuesday April 20th, 2008 at his home in Burg im Leimental. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

Hofmann who discovered LSD hoped that it would make an important contribution to psychiatric research. The drug exaggerated inner problems and conflicts and thus it was hoped that it might be used to recognize and treat mental illnesses like schizophrenia. Regardless, the U.S. government banned LSD in 1966 and other countries followed suit. Hofmann maintained this was unfair, arguing that the drug was not addictive. He repeatedly argued for the ban to be lifted to allow LSD to be used in medical research.

The focus of scientific LSD research has been primarily in relation to behavior modification. Some researchers have indicated that LSD assists with the imprint of new neuropathways, a state called imprint-vulnerability. This "vulnerability" is said to have been exploited by various governments in brain washing experiments. If research were directed in a more positive way, LSD might have proven useful not only in treatment of psychological problems but also for rehabilitation due to brain injury or strokes. But alas, until research is legalized, the world will never know the full potential of Hofmann's discovery.