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Vancouver Was Awesome: Hollywood Hospital, 1959

A Vancouver time travelogue brought to you by Past Tense .

A Vancouver time travelogue brought to you by Past Tense.

Before the hippies discovered LSD, an eccentric and enigmatic millionaire, "Doctor" Al Hubbard, was giving it out like candy to influential people, including Aldous Huxley, local Catholic church big wigs, and researchers. Hubbard believed the psychedelic drug had enormous therapeutic and spiritual potential, and he set up Dr J Ross MacLean to use it for treatment at Hollywood Hospital in New Westminster. MacLean found the drug effective in treating alcoholism, but less so for treating homosexuality. Some high profile patients rumoured to have received LSD treatment at Hollywood Hospital before it shut down the program in the early 70s include BC Socred cabinet ministers and Cary Grant. For the full story, see "Acid Al."

Source: Todd Brendan Fahey, "Captain Tripps," via declarepeace.org.uk