New Documentary About Spreading LSD to the World is a Must See!

By
Maureen Meehan

William Kirkley’s new film, Orange Sunshine, tells the amazing story of the Brotherhood of Eternal Love—a group of kindred spirits whose quest was to spread peace, love and LSD to the world.

To that end, this small group became the largest suppliers of psychedelic drugs in the world during the 1960s and early 1970s. They became known as the Brotherhood of Eternal Love, and Orange Sunshine tells their story like its never been told before.

The group was so discreet in their operations that many assumed they were mythological. But in fact, the Brotherhood was comprised of a handful of West Coast surfers and early flower children who made the explicit decision to produce and provide massive amounts of psychedelics to the largest number of people possible.

LSD was still legal in the United States until 1967, but it was very difficult to find, so they decided to live communally and make their own.

Their goal was not to get rich but rather start a revolution through lysergic enlightenment.

They set up their operation in the canyons of southern California and manufactured pure LSD, specifically Orange Sunshine, to turn on the world and start a social revolution. Naturally the Brotherhood was intimately connected to acid guru Timothy Leary.

Soon the Brotherhood and their brilliant chemists were producing millions of doses of clean LSD. At one point, one of the labs produced 100 million hits of acid!

Determined to expand their spiritual enlightenment into a “spiritual revolution,” the Brotherhood created a successful hash-smuggling operation from Afghanistan into the United States to support their LSD production.

This is where the movie becomes an adventure story and a “sunny retro thriller,” as one critic called it, with re-enactments of the smuggling operations that took them around the world. They stashed blocks of hash in hollowed-out surfboards, musical instruments, suitcases, even their own bodies. This was back in the day when airport security devices were not capable is seeing through to one’s soul.

Kirkley’s documentary features interviews with founding members and leaders of the group, Michael Randall and Carol Griggs, who have never shared their story before. They offer a “rare insider look into the provocative group, following them through their radicalization from idealist students to outlaws.”

Using archival photos and Super-8 recreations, Orange Sunshine takes viewers on a trip like none other.

This award-winning film documentary is now available on iTunes and digital platforms. Please check out their webpage orangesunshinemovie.com to see when it is opening in a theater near you.

For all of HIGH TIMES’ culture coverage, click here.

Maureen Meehan

Maureen Meehan is a New York-based writer, who has worked as a foreign correspondent for many years.

By
Maureen Meehan
Tags: LSD

Recent Posts

Ohio GOP Lawmakers Debate Adult-Use MJ Priorities, Eye June for Regulation Approval

Ohio's recreational market remains in limbo, for now.

20 hours ago

Study: Psilocybin Enhances Meditation

For those seeking enlightenment through meditation, psilocybin might do the trick.

20 hours ago

Cannabis Community, Investors React to DEA Decision To Reschedule

Cannabis advocates hailed the DEA’s decision to reclassify marijuana under federal drugs laws, although many…

20 hours ago

Georgia Governor Signs Bill Establishing Licensing Requirements To Grow Hemp

The governor of Georgia signed a series of bills aimed at bolstering the state’s agriculture…

20 hours ago

Taylor Swift Puts Narcotics Into All of Her Songs on ‘The Tortured Poets Department’

On her latest album, the megastar is more open about substance abuse than ever before.

20 hours ago

New Mexico Governor Calls Homeland Security Secretary’s Response to Pot Seizures ‘Inappropriate’

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham was “offended” by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ response to her…

2 days ago