I remember having read about some LSD experiments in the 60s involving both analytical executives and creative-types (led, I believe, by Leary) that produced some pretty astounding insights/breakthroughs. And, additionally, the somewhat famous account of Francis Crick being "under the influence of LSD when he first deduced the double-helix structure of DNA." Thanks for the link!
And I couldn't agree more with your assessment! In addition to LSD's promising results with rehabilitating alcohol addicts (and prisoners) in the '60s, there's the emerging research of Ibogaine's potential for treating hard-drug addictions (
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syztZcpj69U), and DMT's therapeutic effect for, as you said, assisting terminally ill/end-of-life patients (see Dr. Rick Strassman's work). And, as great as that is, it doesn't even include the fact that psychotropics most definitely can widen ones "normal" perspective of the world - usually in a way that begins to grasp the beauty of it all, which can lead to a more empathic individual. It's absolutely criminal that these things are not only dismissed, but vilified.