The Second Generation Project - Summer 1999 Update

Adele Getty, E-mail: huxley@nets.com

   Since the announcement of the Second Generation Project in the last MAPS Bulletin I have been contacted by a number of researchers offering help and encouragement. At the moment I am working on the questionnaire and technical details surrounding the study. I have also received e-mails from volunteers and parents that have been heart-warming and supportive. I would like to share a few exerpts of these letters with MAPS readers.

One parent wrote:
   "Yes, right now, today, my son dropped some acid and went to a beautiful wilderness area to celebrate the April 19th anniversary of Albert Hofmann's bicycle ride. There is no doubt my son's deep spiritual affinity for Nature is a direct outgrowth of some of his entheogenic experiences. Certainly, certainly true for me. My son is 19 and a freshman in college who is good in Physics and math - completely unlike me in that regard. I've worked hard to educate my son and his younger sister to respect and use entheogens wisely. They haven't always done so. But, by and large, they've done well and had some very positive experiences. I truly believe my son has developed much of his considerable philosophical depth as a result of the good (and maybe the bad??) experiences. By the way, I want to praise you for this undertaking... for obvious reasons."

A young adult wrote:
   "Saw your ! article in the MAPS newsletter (sic) last night. I imagine I am one of those second generation 20-somethings who grew up with a lay psychoactive chemist yogi father (among other things!). Lots of stories. First introduced to psilocybin around 15. Thirteen years later (I'm 28), plant medicine continues to be an integral part of a yogic spiritual practice I share with my father."

Another second generation person wrote:
   "I am giving you my info as a potential interview. I grew up in an environment with psychedelic adults. I am 25, living in Texas. Finished school and moved here in search of something, haven't figured it out yet. My mom had mentioned the study and it sounded interesting. I hope it is going well."

   Since word of this study has gone out I have been approached by many second generation people who are anxious to participate in the project. Volunteers are more numerous than I thought. I have also been touched by the parent-child relationships. At the moment my challenge is to develop the appropriate questionnaire and then to do a pilot study with a few volunteers. I would like to thank MAPS and the MAPS staff for their support and those researchers, volunteers, and parents who have contacted me. I believe this study will contribute something of value to the field of psychedelic research and it flies in the face of conventional attitudes towards drug use among young adults. It is my hope, with your help, to generate the funding to have this study go forward and to create a forum in which the stories of the second generation can be told.