Poison and Paranoia in The Marlborough Arms
The Strange Case of Donald Johnson, MP
‘Let me take you by the hand. And hold my hand firmly, for we have strange sights to see’1
Buckle up kids, we’re going down a rabbit hole, following a British politician on a curious journey sparked by either a drug poisoning or mental health episode, depending on your point-of-view. It takes us via the contentious events in Pont Saint Esprit and on to the first British book about cannabis in the twentieth century, through a cobweb of links with 1950s LSD researchers, the first mention of LSD in the House of Commons and finally to the myth of LSD in the water supply.
Few people remember Donald Johnson (1903-1978). A man of many professions, including doctor, barrister, publican, author and publisher, Johnson was also a politician, initially a Liberal party parliamentary candidate before becoming a Conservative in 1945, and MP for Carlisle 1955-1964. Running parallel to this illustrious career, from 1950 onwards, Johnson had an obsession with …