Prout Urges Bill To Outlaw LSD

Curtis Prout `37, associate Director the University Health Services, urged the Massachusetts legislature to outlaw the possession of LSD and other hallucinogenic drugs. Prout told the legislature's Committee on Public Health that he supports a proposed bill that would put LSD, psilocybin and DMT in the same class as marijuana and heroin. He and an official from the State Food and Drug Dept. were the only witnesses who spoke on the bill.

"I was extremely disappointed that physicians from other colleges didn't joint me out there," Prout said yesterday.

Guilt By Association

The Bill would make the posession of hallucinogenic drugs a felony and give broader powers in searching for the drugs. It would also make possible the arrest of anyone found in the company of a person using them.

The committee yesterday was reported to have given the bill a favorable report.

"The availibility of LSD and the others is creating a drug problem," Prout said yesterday, "You can order them by mail now from Canada and Mexico. They're even getting down to the high schools." He said he favored their use only in supervised research projects.

Prout predicted, would cut cut down on student use of hallucinogenic drugs. "Once there are strong penalties reached, people here may think longer before trying them," he said.