Why Is Hippie So Popular In The Mid-1960s

Drug experimentation was normalized in the Hippie culture. Popular drugs were marijuana, ecstasy, and LSD to enhance their emotions and give them a deeper mindfulness. LSD or lysergic acid diethylamide became widely popular because it was believed to have the power to bring people together and restore brotherhood up until 1966 where it was made illegal and pronounced a Schedule 1

During the 1960’s, many significant things occurred that affected the history of Australia. Though, this is not what the time period was recognized for. The Hippies were born into the fluctuating world of the early 1950’s and late 1940’s. They were raised in the heart of a revolution, a time when sexual liberty, drug usage and psychedelic music took centre stage. Countless numbers of the hippies were protesting after the post war period, because their parents were very traditional and conventional. This fuelled the youth’s revolt against the typical, selfish and violent society.

Another one of the main parts of the hippie counterculture lifestyle was drug use. LSD and marijuana were the drugs most frequently used by the hippies in the 1960s. These drugs drew thousands to the hippie lifestyle and to their beliefs. Drugs were used to escape the traditional values of American society, and to see deeper into ones self. Timothy Leary, a psychologist at Harvard, is known for his experimentations with LSD and other hallucinogenic drugs. Leary would encourage his students and fellow faculty members to go on these psychedelic trips while he recorded their responses to the drugs. In 1966 LSD was made illegal in California then later in 1967 the Federal Government banned it in the United States. Even thought the drug was illegal it didn’t stop the hippies from using it. Many of these drug users died of overdosing, two of the most well known were musical artists Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin.

“Hippies were called Flower Children because they gave flowers to communicate gentleness and love” (Salge). The Hippie Movement was a popular counter culture during the 60’s-70’s. Hippies are best known for their practice of psychedelic drug use, interesting political views, where they took up living quarters, and their unique fashion sense.

The hippie movements of the sixties were driven by a plethora of factors. There were many new technologies that were being introduced in this period, a war against Communism around the globe, internal struggles against several types of injustices, a growing drug culture, and several other important developments. To say the least, it was a volatile period in American history and many sub-cultures were actively seeking to carve out new paths that were starkly different than the traditional norms. These generations who rejected traditional culture helped carve out a new trajectory for the United States and the movements influences can still be felt to this day.

In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, drug use became a major concern for most Americans. As the War on Drugs and “Just Say No” campaign were being thrust into the spotlight by the government and media, the public became more aware of the scope of drug use and abuse in this country. The federal and states’ governments quickly responded by creating and implementing more harsh and punitive punishments for drug offenses. Most of these laws have either remained unchanged or become stricter in the years since then.

In order to spread lies about marijuana use, various agencies released propaganda films, most notable of these films is “Reefer Madness”. In this film, high school students are lured into using marijuana, which leads the students to commit murder, rape, suicide, and an overall decent into madness. Despite the strong use of propaganda, marijuana use saw an upward trend between the 1950’s and the 1960’s. Use of marijuana had spread to the white upper and middle classes by the 1960’s, partially changing the negative connotations attached to marijuana use. The drug was used by these middle and upper class whites to rebel against the older generation’s way of thinking. Many teens were introduced to marijuana use in college, where various other counter-culture ideas were being expounded. While the use of marijuana experienced a rise since the 1800’s to the middle of the 20th century, use of the drug saw a strong downward trend in the 1970’s through the early 1990’s, in part due to the strongest

In this essay I will be discussing the ‘hippie’ culture and style, their impact on the 60s and their continued impact in modern life. In today 's world, hippies are known because of the distinct way in which they behave, dress and their overall lifestyles. There are also some who have come to believe that hippies are synonymous with drugs or that they have radical political views on environmentalism, capitalism, religion e.t.c. The dictionary defines a hippie as "one who doesn’t conform to society’s standards and advocates a liberal attitude and lifestyle". What I am interested in is whether this definition is true. Polhemus (2007) says "who is real? Who is a replicant? Who cares? Life is a fancy-dress party, Enjoy”. I will be discussing this quote in more depth, relating it to the hippie culture as well as explaining how the hippie culture developed and what it means to be a hippie today.

For many years in the past, marijuana has been made to look like a dangerous drug, linked to crime and addiction. In the early 1920s and ‘30s most people still did not know what marijuana was or had even heard of it yet. Those who had heard of it were largely uninformed. The drug rarely appeared in the media, but when it did it was linked to crime and even thought to be murder-inducing. A 1929 article in the Denver Post reported a Mexican-American man who murdered his stepdaughter was a marijuana addict (Baird 2011). Articles such as this began to form a long-standing link between marijuana and crime in the public’s mind. Soon, laws against marijuana began coming into place. In 1970, Congress classified

They were both icons of unforgettable eras: one, the glamorous nineteen twenties; the other, the revolutionary seventies. In the twenties, alcohol was sipped cautiously behind the walls of speakeasies; glasses clinking under the flashing lights of entertainment signs. The hippies of the sixties and seventies passed pipes of burning marijuana, promoting peace while protesting for the rights of millions of Americans. No doubt, both drugs have had a major influence on the country, both have had their “glory” days. After a time of prohibition, the once thought sinful substance of alcohol was re-legalized. Marijuana, on the other hand, remains illegal in the country of the United States. But

Drugs have played a part of the United States of America criminal justice fabric for generations. The scare tactics of the 1960s gave way to the contradictory messages of the late ’70s and early ’80s. In the 1970’s drugs became glamorous and recreational to many citizens. Prior to the 1970’s, citizens that abuse drugs was seen by policymakers as suffering from a social disease that could only be helped by treatment. Policymakers posture change drastically in the mid 70’s. In 1973, only twelve percent of the population reported to the Gallup poll that they had tried drugs. By 1977, that number was doubled. Notably, in 1978, 66 percent of Americans said Marijuana was becoming a serious issue in their respective communities (Riley, K.

The use and abuse of these illicit drugs has not only become a contemporary issue but it has always been social issue as well as a health issue, social attitude towards drugs and the figures of use have changed greatly over time. During 1985, federal and state governments adopted a National Drug Strategy which included prohibition and harm reduction. Now in the state of New South Wales, it is illegal to possess, use, produce, and/or supply a drug that has been classified as being prohibited. Most common forms of drug charges in New South Wales are under the Drug Misuse and Trafficking Act 1985. Roughly every year around 150 people are imprisoned in New South Wales for drug possession, and another 600 for the supply or cultivation of drugs. During the 1980’s Australia’s then prime minister; Bob Hawke made a revelation that his daughter was a drug user. It was after this admittance that a new drug initiative was started; this initiative soon became known as the National Campaign Against Drug Abuse

Since 1941 there has been a major surge in drug dealing through proof of arrest rates. This is pretty clear since the amount of arrests has increased by a monumental 50% since then. Statistics show the escalation of arrests from1941-1990. From 1941-1950 there were 0.3 arrests; 1951-1960 0.7%; 1961-1970 7.9%; 1971-1980 36.9% and from 1981-1990 54.2%. Today, nineteen years later, these arrest rates

Drug use in the United States has increased for the past few years. A report conducted by Tobias Salinger from NY Daily News, in 2013 an estimated 24.6 million Americans age 12 or older 9.4 percent of the population had us an illicit drug in the past month. The increase is due to the increase of marijuana use, because it is so common. Marijuana use has increased since 2007. In 2013, the number of current users ager 12 or older was 1.5 million; however, this number is lower than 2002, to 2007 ranging from 2.0 million to 2.4 million. (Tobias Salinger, NY Daily News)

Since the early 1960’s there have been an alarming increase in drug use in the United States in 1962, four million Americans had tried an illegal drug. By 1999, that number had risen to a staggering 88.7 million, according to the 1999 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse.