"You don't need drugs to enjoy Pink Floyd, rather you need Pink Floyd to enjoy drugs" -Anonymous
By no means do I consider Pink Floyd to be "drug music". Any music is capable practically of enhancing the effects of various states of mind. But there is a link to Pink Floyd and drugs going back to their origin, with the meteoric rise and fall of Syd Barrett, who's drug of choice happened to be LSD.
This is a work in progress, and I am attempting to make it as accurate as possible. Roger Waters and Nick Mason were said to be the "boozers" in the band, while David Gilmour and Rick Wright were the stoners. In no way do I endorse drugs or suggest they are good things or bad. They simply are.
I also wish to stress that the spirit of this page is simply in fun. It is not meant to be accusitory, finger-pointing, or inflammatory. In pictures and in words then, let's begin.
Here's an interesting picture of
Dave standing in front of what appears to be a VW bus. The interesting thing is the
unmistakeable T-shirt slogan "Home Grown" with the huge joint. In my small
opinion, David was/is an unmistakable stoner. In the video Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii
Dave addresses this issue by stating, "We're not a drug band. You can trust us."
all the while giving a devious grin and with the trancelike stare and red eyes that
are dead giveaways in my opinion.
From Rick Wright's EMI Records site, a section of an interview with Rick:
What are your views on acid now?
Rick: Syd was very influenced by a lot of people around him, who encouraged him to take trips. There are a load of acid casualties out there. He wasn't alone. Back then, we had people like Timothy Leary openly advocating it: trip our and take it every day. Wrong ? Yes. Misguided ? Yes. It was wrong for me. I took two trips in my life. The first was quite enjoyable and that was before I was in the band. Then I took one more and I didn't enjoy it at all, so I never took it again. It certainly destroyed Syd and I think it has destroyed a lot of other people.
But Floyd's music has often been described as "drug-inspired". Do you think that suggestion is wrong?
Rick: If you mean Pink Floyd took drugs - you're wrong. There is no way that I could play music and take any kind of drug at the same time.
Beaker here. The way I interpret that corresponds to my own view on drugs. Such "hard drugs" as heroin, cocaine, LSD and PCP are dangerous and destructive. However, not a single death has ever been directly attributed to marijuana. In The Netherlands in fact, the sale of small amounts of marijuana and "magic mushrooms" is openly tolerated as the Dutch Ministry of Health has not found these substances to be destructive. In America, millions of people die each year from alcohol and tobacco. In fact, alcohol is hardly regulated. There are more warnings on a can of diet soda then there are on a bottle of whiskey. It seems others have chosen what drugs are to be available. America's "War on Drugs" is a thinly disguised excuse for another attack on the poor of this country. The rich can simply have their doctor write them a prescription for practically whatever they want. Think about this, because it is YOUR money being spent here.
Upon first glance, a simple
promotional picture from the Momentary Lapse of Reason tour, right? Well, look
a little more closely at the plane. Above David on the fuselage is the designation
"420". Four-twenty is the underground designation for marijuana smokers. Take
a look at this page set up by High Times magazine, about 420
Four-twenty is International Stoner Time. April 20th is considered a holiday. Coincidence?
Well, draw your own conclusions.
From A Pink Think with the Floyd, student paper interview, 1970
Interviewer: Do you use dope when you're playing?
PF: Sometimes . . . usually, but not much.
C: Did any of your music evolve from the use of drugs?
PF: No. There is more alcohol consumed than dope before we go on stage. You see, because, when you're high you can sit on your own, and play for hours and hours and hours, and if you put it on tape--if you come back to it when you are straight and it's a load of shit. I think what really we do, is that we all like to get that little bit of relaxation from smoking a small amount. For myself, I like a small smoke before I play, it relaxes me. (Gilmore [sic])
Again, draw your own conclusions here. This is a picture
of the band relaxing at The Dome, Brighton, England 1972. Cigarette in Dave's hand or something
else? hmmm... 
From Total Silence or War, German magazine Der Speigel interview with David Gilmour, June 5th, 1995.
Interviewer: Have you yourself used LSD?
G: A few times, but LSD was not really our thing; eventually the man I stepped in for, Syd Barrett, sustained real damage from LSD and similar drugs. We couldn't make use of him any more. I haven't seen him again for 20 years. He lives in a house in Cambridge, goes shopping, and washes his clothes in a laundromat. That's about all he is still able to do.
Here's a very jovial picture of
Roger. Kind of rare, as Roger is usually more dour. Could it be that he's happy with his
joint in his hand? It appears that what he is smoking is not open-ended, suggesting something
hand-rolled. True, tobacco and many other herbs can be hand-rolled. Once again, it's anybody's
guess.
Q- Drugs were a part of the psychedelic movement. What role did they play on the Pink Floyd experience?
NM- Almost none. As far as I remember, and at least referring to us, Rick, Roger and me, we didn't take them then. On the other hand, I can't say we weren't drinking much. Latter, things changed, and all of us, together or separately, did the drug experiment.
