U.S. Training Special Agents To Combat L.S.D.

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31087, 16 June 1966, Page 5

U.S. Training Special Agents To Combat L.S.D.

(N.Z. Press Astn.—Copyright) WASHINGTON, June 14. The American Food and Drug Administration (F.D.A.) is training a special corps of undercover agents to combat the illicit manufacture, sale and use of the hallucinogenic drug, L.S.D., United Press International reported.

The F.D.A. Commissioner (Mr Goddard), when asked what he thought of the widelypublicised claim that L.S.D. “expands” the mind and makes possible a sort of mystical spiritual experience, snapped: “Pure bunk.”

He said L.S.D. had been under intensive investigation by medical researchers since it was discovered by accident in 1943, and no legitimate medical use had ever been found for it. “It’s an extremely dangerous drug that can precipitate serious psychiatric illness or even suicide,” he said. “We have in process of training special investigators at the University of California at Berkeley. We have 60 men now being trained as undercover investigators,” he saidCoimmissioner Goddard said the F.DA, with the National Institute of Mental Health, would attempt to discover how widespread was abuse of L.S.D. “Along with this will be an educational effort aimed at college students and others who seem to be particularly at risk, to try to

acquaint them with the dangers and to counteract this dangerous publicity that others have put forth advocating the use of the drug for mystical experience." On other matters, Mr Goddard said: He is satisfied that the birth control pills now being used by millions of American women are “relatively safe.” “We don’t know everything about oral contraceptives that we’d like to know. That kind of knowledge will take 10 to 15 years to accumulate. But we wouldn’t allow these pills to stay on the market unless we were satisfied from the evidence now available that they are relatively safe.” Increased vigilance by Government agencies and more careful farming methods have resulted in a reduction of pesticide residues on food supplies entering the market place. Most drug manufacturers are co-operating with the F.D.A.’s drive against false and , misleading advertising. As a result, doctors are getting more reliable information about the new medicines they are urged to try.

MORE than 70,000 families daily have breakfast with “The Press.” When buying or selling, whatever you require—a job. additional staff, selling a car, trombone. or bicycle—" The Press” Classifieds have a column to suit you. Dial 50-199. It’s wise to advertise in the morning.