In this episode of Perspectives, we speak with Benjamin Breen and Jonathan Moreno on the history of psychedelic drugs in America. There is a resurgence of interest in psychedelics in the medical world as possible treatments for conditions such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD. This resurgence comes after a period during which psychedelic drugs were thought to be dangerous and have no medical value. An earlier perception was more optimistic. Figures such as Margaret Meade and Timothy Leary looked to drugs like peyote and LSD to allay fears, provide insights, broaden cultural perspectives and lead to chemical enlightenment. As mainstream institutions take yet another look, join us to examine the changing legal, medical and cultural perspectives on psychedelic drugs. Benjamin Breen is Associate Professor of history at the University of California, Santa Cruz. His second book is Tripping on Utopia: Margaret Meade, the Cold War and the Troubled Birth of Psychedelic Science. In addition to his academic publications, his writing has appeared in the The Washington Post, Paris Review Daily, The Atlantic, Slate, Aeon, The Pacific Standard, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Public Domain Review, Nautilus, and Lapham’s Quarterly. Jonathan Moreno is the David and Lyn Silfen University Professor Emeritus at University of Pennsylvania, where he works on bioethics, health policy, and the history and sociology of biology and medicine. He is the author of six books and numerous academic papers, and his work as also appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Science, Nature, Slate, Politico, The Hill and Foreign Affairs. For more information on this and other topics, please see https://www.chstm.org/video/77474 Recorded on December 10, 2024.