NO WRITER ATTRIBUTED

Published: Monday, May 28, 1962

A Faculty committee will be named this week to “advise and oversee” future research in psilocybin, according to Richard Alpert, assistant professor of Clinical Psychology. His work with the consciousness-expanding drug was sharply criticized by his colleagues two months ago.

The committee will draft a set of ground rules covering the procedure and administration of the psilocybin project at the Center for Research in Personality. Then it will submit this document to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the University Health Services.

At a meeting April 11, Department investigators and those involved from Harvard generally agreed that such a Faculty group should oversee future use of the drugs in accordance with State regulations.

State officials have already agreed to let the psilocybin research continue and have directed only that a physician be present to administer the drug. He need not remain for the rest of the experiment. Previously, Alpert and his partner, Timothy Leary, lecturer on, Clinical Psychology, maintained that it was sufficient to have a physician on call during the experiments.

Read more of this post