University of Virginia Library

Drug Use At University Behind Nation

stay high permanently. I could never get
comfortable, my whole body was tense. It's a
completely different experience tan grass. The
illusions and hallucinations with acid all went by
rapidly and it was hard to decide if I really
enjoyed something or not. There were a few
pleasurable feelings; sometimes my body was
completely numb and while walking I felt I was

CD: Did you experience any great
revelations?

Jack: No, it wasn't a spiritual thing at all.
Most of the sensations stemmed from just
viewing the world around me. My environment
looked quite different. Walls would oscillate,
melt, fall apart.

CD: How did you feel afterwards?

Jack: There was a period of depression and
nervous tension, I have had no other
hallucinations since then.

CD: What made you decide to try acid
again?

Jack: The first time I had taken an overdose
and I thought this might have interfered with
my truly enjoying the experience. The second
time I tried it, there was a pleasurable feeling
for a while. It still wasn't like grass, it still
wasn't completely a good thing. Things moved
too fast for me to tell if I really enjoyed them.

CD: Would you recommend its usage to
anyone? Was it worthwhile?

Jack: No, not really. It was a good
experience in that I had wanted to try it once
and find out what it was like. Of course I can't
very well recommend that someone not use it
because someone told me not to use it last year.
But for the good of anyone wanting to listen, I
would recommend not using acid. I once had
the impression that I would be willing to try
anything once. But after having this experience
with acid I don't really feel that way any more.
I'm just as content to smoke grass.

CD: Is there much acid available in
Charlottesville?

Jack: You can get it without much trouble.

Bill: Yes, you can also get speed and heroin.
I'm pretty sure I could get them in about a day,
in fact, I could almost guarantee it.

Jack: I'm really distressed that speed and
heroin are becoming available. I've heard of one
pusher who is offering rebate to people who
can get other customers.

CD: How much acid do you think is being
pushed around here?

Bill: A good lot. I know of about six people
who use it.

Jack: I know of two, but I suppose it's just
a matter of what group you hang around with.

CD: Do you really think the situation with
speed and heroin is getting out of hand?

Bill: Well, I'm not sure how many people
are using these drugs but I do know there are a
number.

CD: What do you think
motivates people to take dangerous drugs such
as speed and heroin? Don't they realize the risk
involved?

Bill: Well, people say they like the feeling
they get from grass and they hear acid is better
so they try it. I have a good friend back home
who has been destroyed from using speed. He
took speed once, like it, took it again, like it,
again, liked it, and finally got so he just loved it
and couldn't live without it. He goes up for six
days, then crashed and is just unbelievable
until he can get more speed. His mind is gone,
he babbles a lot, and he is physically a wreck.
He is given about six more weeks to live. So I
would say it's very easy to get psychologically
hooked to speed, even for people with a great
deal of will power.

CD: Do you think you will continue
smoking?

Bill: Yes. I enjoy it, look forward to it. It's
not a habit but I would just rather sit and
smoke than sit and drink. It's a change from
going to class all day. But if I had to stop for
some reason I could easily do so.

There is a tendency in drug users such as Bill
and Jack to eventually stop using them. But if
they are to have gained anything from drug
usage, they must first consider why they took
them at all. Insight must result from
understanding one's psychology. Jack and Bill,
like most college drug users, still have a long
way to go.