1968. The Day LSD Put 12 People in the Hospital

Here is the rest of the film. - https://youtu.be/UKwg2e_Wavk

This film was made in 1968 by the U.S. government, designed to influence teenagers and their parents and to be shown in schools. I don't know how effective it was but the 1960s saw a dramatic rise in LSD use among American teenagers, fueled by its association with the counterculture movement and figures like Timothy Leary.

By the mid-to-late 1960s, LSD had moved from clinical research labs into the mainstream youth culture. In the early 60s, LSD was virtually unknown to the general public. By 1975, the Monitoring the Future (MTF) study found that 16% of high school seniors nationwide had used hallucinogens. Surveys from the late 70s suggest that by age 18, nearly 25% of students in certain areas (like New York) had experimented with hallucinogens. By the time the drug was federally banned in 1967, it was estimated that millions of young people had tried it at least once.

The "problems" associated with LSD in the 60s were largely psychological and behavioral rather than physical, as the drug has low toxicity but high potency.

Bad trips were the most common immediate problems, characterized by extreme panic, paranoia, and terrifying hallucinations. Because LSD severely impairs judgment, users sometimes engaged in fatal accidents, such as walking into traffic or jumping from heights under the delusion that they could fly. In some cases, the drug triggered an acute psychotic break that resembled schizophrenia, making it impossible for the individual to recognize reality.

Some users experienced Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder, where visual distortions or "flashbacks" occurred spontaneously months or even years after the last dose. For teenagers with underlying or latent mental health conditions, LSD use often acted as a trigger for prolonged anxiety, depression, or permanent psychosis. Frequent use often led to "dropping out"—a rejection of traditional school, work, and family structures, which caused significant friction within 1960s middle-class households.