The
Hasheesh Eater
By
Fitz Hugh Ludlow
This
book was first published in the USA in 1857 and was a very early account of the
effects of hallucinogens. He describes in great detail the fantastic visions and
distortions of reality he experienced after taking large doses of cannabis
extract. He also warns of the unfortunate side-effects he experienced. Despite these, the book stimulated a brief
fashion for emulating him: clubs were formed in several cities to experiment
with the effects.