Two Exhibits Look Back on Drug Scene

Two blasts from the drug-soaked past are playing in the Midwest.

“I Want to Take You Higher: The Psychedelic Era 1965-’69,” which opened this weekend at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, displays more than 500 objects from that colorful era, focusing on San Francisco and London. Among the items are rock star John Lennon’s wildly painted Rolls Royce, Janis Joplin’s psychedelic Porsche, Grateful Dead musical instruments and psychedelic posters. The exhibit ends Feb. 28, 1998. Information: (216) 781-7625.

“Altered States: Alcohol and Other Drugs in America” runs through Sept. 21 at the Chicago Historical Society. An 1850 hypodermic syringe, a door from a “crack” house in Rochester, N.Y., and snuff jars are among hundreds of objects illustrating drug use from the 1600s to the present. Information: (312) 642-4600.