Norman Ohler (2024) - Psychedelics and Methamphetamine in World War II

This recap episode captures an engaging discussion between Joe Rogan and author Norman Ohler, focusing on Ohler's non-fiction works, "Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich" and "Tripped: Nazi Germany, the CIA, and the Dawn of the Psychedelic Age". Ohler shares his unconventional journey into historical research, detailing how discovering Nazi drug use, initially methamphetamine in World War II, led him to uncover deeper connections, including previously unknown Nazi interest in psychedelics like mescaline and potentially LSD. He explains how American forces found Nazi psychedelic research documents after liberating Dachau, which subsequently influenced CIA drug experimentation programs like MKUltra. The conversation also touches on Albert Hofmann's discovery of LSD, its early medical promise before prohibition, and the surprising anecdotal use of low-dose LSD and psilocybin by Ohler's father for his mother's Alzheimer's, alongside a broader critique of drug prohibition and media propaganda throughout history. Ohler also recounts startling details of Hitler's extensive drug use, particularly oxycodone and cocaine, arguing it significantly impacted his decision-making in the final years of the war.

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