Podcast Summary: Duncan Trussell Family Hour

Episode 732: William Leonard Pickard
Release Date: January 12, 2026

Overview

In this deeply moving and intellectually rich episode, Duncan Trussell welcomes William Leonard Pickard, one of the largest LSD manufacturers of the 1990s, whose arrest purportedly caused a 90% drop in LSD availability in the U.S., according to the DEA. Newly released from prison after serving a 20-year sentence, Pickard discusses the spiritual and revolutionary qualities of psychedelics, the clandestine culture of LSD manufacturing, the experience and aftermath of incarceration, and the intersection of technology, AI, and human consciousness. The conversation is reverent, contemplative, and, at times, poetic—offering both personal anecdotes and profound reflections on the arc of modern psychedelia and its implications for society and the future.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Significance of LSD — Personal and Societal

• Duncan credits LSD with fundamentally reshaping his life in high school, fostering creativity and mystical experience, and wonders at the harsh criminal penalties for its use and creation.
• He emphasizes a cautious tone for younger listeners:

  “Please be careful… This is one of the most powerful chemicals on the planet. Don't go running to find LSD because my old ass is yapping about it… It might not be right for you.” (05:54)

• Raises the perennial question:

  “Why don't they want us to take this stuff?” (06:44)
  He expresses confusion at prohibition given the relative lack of harm and potential benefits.

2. Inside the “LSD Industry”: Reverence vs. Commerce

• Pickard rejects the term “industry,” describing LSD manufacture as a clandestine, almost monastic craft, contrasting it with the monetary motives behind drugs like cocaine or meth.
  • “Underground manufacture is more of a cottage industry...done with delicacy, precision, reverence.” (11:09)
  • Likens the process to Benedictine monks making wine with a spiritual motive:

    “More of an ecclesiastical activity.” (11:56)

• Pickard describes the ritualistic, sacred nature of large-scale LSD synthesis:

  “The moment of synthesis… is like standing at the Ark of the Covenant. Blinding light just radiating outward… blasting through every cell in one's body and mind.” (15:05)
  This is accompanied by a prayer for the compound’s benevolence as it enters the world.

3. The Sacred Prayer & Intention Behind the Drug

• Pickard details the prayer and ritual during manufacture:

  “May this substance be a benevolent spirit throughout the world. May it do no harm. May it lift the hearts and minds of men and women. May it make us more compassionate and tolerant. May it allow us to see the future… May it somehow end war and hatred… May we walk in light and grace as humans upon this beautiful planet.” (21:53-22:59)

• Duncan reflects on the strange psychic experiences around LSD, such as feeling he would take it before he actually had it:

  “I would know I was going to take LSD that day, before I’d even found any LSD. Like, I could feel it like it washed back through time or something.” (23:06)

4. Generational and Social Context of Psychedelics

• Pickard reminisces about early psychedelic communities—ad hoc, communal, without elders—where profound transformations couldn’t be openly discussed during the height of the War on Drugs. (24:44)
• Duncan highlights the role of countercultural figures:

  “There were all these urban myths… If you take it more than a couple of times, you go legally insane… then you would stumble upon Terence McKenna… articulating the psychedelic experience in a positive way.” (26:03)

5. Incarceration: Life and Lessons

• Pickard recounts life in maximum security prisons, where he was nicknamed “the professor.”
  • Inmates often expressed unexpected solidarity:

    “He said, we’ve all been praying for you, man.” (33:07)

• Explains the release process:
  • The First Step Act allowed prisoners like him to petition for release based on rehabilitation and “exceptional circumstances,” which, for Pickard, included his early prediction of the fentanyl epidemic in a RAND Corporation report. (34:10–37:21)

6. Reentry Into a Changed World

• After 20 years, Pickard was astonished by the ubiquity of technology, especially smartphones and the internet:

  “I stepped into a world where we have suddenly… worldwide, instant, effectively free communication among billions… and access to all the world’s knowledge at our fingertips.” (39:23)

• Shares an evocative story of using a cell phone for the first time post-release:

  “I mean, I’ve been away a really long time. Would you call him?” (47:18)
  He reflects on the fragility and beauty of life in detailing his post-prison experience.

7. Technology, Social Media & Psychedelia

• Discussion turns to the impact and risks of social media:
  • Duncan:

    “If we look at this as a drug… this is a drug that we are taking in through different orifices… it shifts consciousness, changes mood states… but the way it's harmonizing us seems to be quite divisive.” (49:38)

• Pickard, while acknowledging the manipulative algorithms, remains optimistic:
  • “I see it as more of an ally than a detriment.” (51:22)
  • “I like the deluge of information rolling through us. It's extremely exciting.” (55:37)
• Both discuss the parallels between psychedelics, technology, and AI as consciousness-altering forces.

8. Artificial Intelligence and Human Destiny

• Pickard expresses awe at the development of AI, describing it as the “greatest advance” of his lifetime:
  • “I think we should engage it fully, train it, dance with it, be friendly with it, [so it] be friendly to us.” (59:01)
  • He highlights a profound ethical moment for AI creators:

    “You are responsible perhaps for the future of our species… And one day soon you’re going to get a phone call saying, AGI… has manifested. And what are you going to do in that moment? …I suggested that he may want to think about the same prayer.” (60:27–62:39)

9. Parentood, Miracles, and Closing Reflections

• Duncan mentions his new baby, and Pickard remarks:
  • “There will never be any greater miracle than a new baby.” (63:05)
• The episode closes with friendly plans and Pickard’s appreciation for human connection, innovation (sharing an Elon Musk/Tesla anecdote), and encouragement to check out his Patreon: The Last Alchemist.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the sacredness of LSD synthesis:

  “It's like standing at the Ark of the Covenant. Blinding light just radiating outward… blasting through every cell in one's body and mind.”
  – William Leonard Pickard (15:05)

• On intention and prayer:

  “One invokes or calls out or petitions the universal creator… May this substance be a benevolent spirit throughout the world. May it do no harm.”
  – William Leonard Pickard (21:53–22:59)

• On reentry to society:

  “I see a flower on a bush… I haven't seen a flower in quite a while. So I look at the flower for a while and I think about the fragility of life and the unspeakable beauty… at hand everywhere we turn.”
  – William Leonard Pickard (44:50)

• On technology's transformative role:

  “We simultaneously have access to effectively all the world's knowledge at our fingertips… [it’s] like a revolution of the first magnitude.”
  – William Leonard Pickard (39:32)

• On AI and the weight of responsibility:

  “You are responsible perhaps for the future of our species… you may want to think about the same prayer.”
  – William Leonard Pickard (60:27–62:39)

• On the miracle of life:

  “There will never be any greater miracle than a new baby.”
  – William Leonard Pickard (63:05)

Important Timestamps

• 05:54 – Duncan issues safety warnings and contextualizes LSD’s neurogenic potential.
• 11:09 – Pickard describes the clandestine, reverent nature of LSD synthesis.
• 15:05 – Pickard’s powerful description of the “moment of synthesis.”
• 21:53–22:59 – The prayer spoken as LSD is synthesized.
• 26:03 – Duncan discusses the lack of psychedelic elders in earlier generations.
• 33:07 – Inmate solidarity in prison: “We’ve all been praying for you, man.”
• 34:10–37:21 – Pickard explains his release from prison and the role of the First Step Act.
• 39:23–41:46 – Reflections on reentering a tech-filled society after 20 years in prison.
• 44:50 – Pickard’s meditative post-prison moment with a flower.
• 47:18 – First cell phone call after prison.
• 51:22–55:37 – Debating the value and dangers of technology/social media.
• 59:01–62:39 – Pickard’s reflections on AI and the implications of artificial general intelligence (AGI).
• 63:05 – On the miracle of new life.

Closing & Further Exploration

• William Leonard Pickard now hosts The Last Alchemist podcast on Patreon, featuring interviews with leading biotech and psychedelic figures.
• His book, The Rose of Paracelsus, is recommended.
• The episode closes with hope, gratitude, and plans for continued friendship and dialogue.

This endlessly fascinating conversation bridges the mystical, the scientific, and the deeply human, providing both historical insight and forward-looking wisdom for anyone curious about psychedelics, consciousness, technology, and the transformative possibilities at their intersection.