Acknowledgments

Between age fifty-five and seventy-five I studied government with particular emphasis on American history 1743–1812. It was during this period that I came to see myself as a proud member of the American Revolution. In my heart I was with Franklin when he was humiliated before the court of King George. I sat proudly with Jefferson when he, Franklin, and Adams wrote the Declaration of Independence. I stood tall with the signers of the Declaration, in Philadelphia, and I clearly remember the smell of the butcher across the street. I rowed with Washington when he crossed the Delaware and attacked the German mercenaries hired by King George to kill us. I marched with Hamilton when he organized a regiment in Manhattan. I burned the midnight oil with Hamilton when he wrote the Federalist papers, and again with Madison when he wrote our Constitution.

I am eternally grateful to our Founding Fathers for leading us out submission to the king and into being citizens equal under the law. My heart sings appreciation for how they led us out of religious influence on government and into the separation of church and state.

As a patriotic American I am deeply saddened that for the last fifty years our government has not had the wisdom to proactively support, to the utmost, scientific research into psychedelic medicine. Psychedelic medicines have the most potential for unlocking the innermost workings of our consciousness and directing the epigenetic expression of the building blocks of our material being: deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).

As a patriotic American I am also saddened that our government has yet to realize the right of Americans to ingest anything they choose, in the privacy of their homes, so long as they do not do harm to any another human being who may be in their home. To deny this right turns honest citizens into breakers of the law but never prevents massive experimentation.

I wish to thank the following people for their work and their collaborative efforts in making Psychedelic Medicine possible; they have made a significant contribution to us all. First, we are indebted to the scientists whose work is documented in this book. Their perseverance in the face of challenges and obstacles, as well as potential threats to their careers, has provided our world with important scientific information having monumental potential for healing and creativity. It has been my distinct privilege to interview each of them.

I thank my friend Mike Dell’Ara, who played a key role in the creation of this volume. Mike has served as my trusted confidante and dedicated radio engineer. His clarity of friendship is inspiring. My friend Charlie Diest is the sina qua non of this book. He built a web-site, Psychepedia.org, that contains the interviews in this book. He supervised the transcription of the interviews and much more. Mike and Charlie, thank you!

I also thank my editor, Jennie Marx, and the staff of Inner Traditions/Bear & Co. They provided essential support.