How LSD Helped Launch a Radical Libertarian Counterculture

Reason Podcasts

Today's guest is Susannah Cahalan, whose new book is The Acid Queen, a biography of Rosemary Woodruff Leary—muse, fugitive, and heavily indicted co-conspirator of Timothy Leary's psychedelic revolution. She talks with Reason's Nick Gillespie about hippie communes, outlaw drug smuggling, the war on drugs--and how the '60s counterculture in its best moments ran experiments in radical individualism, where personal freedoms were used to build voluntary communities founded on altered consciousness and aesthetic liberation. The Acid Queen helps explain how the personal became the political, why libertarians should care about the messy legacy of the counterculture, and what comes next in drug policy, especially regarding psychedelics. This conversation was recorded at a live event in New York City. Go here to find out about upcoming events. And go here to sign up for Reason's NYC events newsletter. 0:00 – Introduction 1:15 – Who is Rosemary Woodruff Leary? 7:02 – How did Rosemary meet Timothy Leary? 9:57 – Why America was ready to experiment with psychedelics 15:12 – Rosemary's connection to John Lennon and Yoko Ono 16:11 – How Rosemary and Timothy Leary became outlaws 21:07 – The jailbreak of Timothy Leary 28:45 – The political speech of Timothy Leary 31:45 – Why Rosemary and Timothy split up 35:31 – The final years of Rosemary Woodruff Leary 40:08 – The reconciliation of Rosemary and Timothy Leary 42:54 – The common thread between Cahalan's books 46:18 – Labeling in mental health 48:34 – Cahalan's experience with psychedelics Today's Sponsors: Reliance College: What if one day could change how you think—how you lead—and how you shape your future? Join Reliance College for Reliance Day—Saturday, June 28 in Los Angeles! This one-day, high-impact experience is designed for students, professionals, and lifelong learners ready to level up their thinking in an AI-driven world. At Reliance Day, you'll dive into collaborative Socratic discussions and sharpen the critical thinking and leadership skills that drive success in college, business, and life. It's a full day of intellectual challenge and creative exploration—rooted in the Great Books and Montessori-inspired methods that have transformed over 400 lives. Go to RelianceCollege.org/reliancedays to register today. Future of Freedom: If you're tired of cable news debates and Twitter shouting matches and you're looking for serious, good-faith conversations between people who actually care about liberty, then it's time to check out the Future of Freedom Each episode dives deep into a single topic—tariffs, campus speech, the Department of Government Efficiency—and brings together two guests who disagree on the best path forward. But here's the twist: This isn't a debate show. No interrupting. No dunking. If you believe the future of freedom depends on more than just winning arguments and you're ready for something deeper than the usual echo chambers, check out the Future of Freedom podcast. Real disagreement. Real ideas. Real conversations. Subscribe to Future of Freedom wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe at YouTube: http://youtube.com/reasontv Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Reason.Magazine Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/reason Visit the archive: https://reason.com/tags/reason-podcast