Myron Stolaroff

Who was Myron Stolaroff?

Myron J. Stolaroff was an author and researcher who is best known for his studies involving psychedelic psychotherapy. He also conducted clinical studies that attempted to measure the effects of LSD, mescaline, and other drugs on creativity.

Stolaroff was born in Roswell, New Mexico. In 1941, he received a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University and from 1946 to 1960 he worked for the recording equipment manufacturer Ampex, first as a senior design engineer and later as Director of Instrumentation Marketing.

He founded the International Foundation for Advanced Study in Menlo Park and served as its president from 1960 to 1970. During this time, he was the executive administrator for a research group conducting clinical studies with LSD and mescaline which was administered to about 350 participants. The research resulted in six published papers on psychedelic therapy with Stolaroff as co-author on most of the articles. The Foundation's research came to an end in 1965 when the Food and Drug Administration revoked research permits for psychedelics.

Stolaroff attempted to continue psychedelic research using unscheduled compounds from 1970 to 1986, until the Controlled Substance Analogue Enforcement Act of 1986 was passed and halted his research again. Stolaroff also worked as a Consulting Engineer and as a General Manager of Multi-Media Productions, a manufacturer of social studies and sound filmstrips for public schools. He retired in 1979.