Documents say drugs weren't the main reason for the acid house crackdown

Worries concerning noise and people making profits from illegal parties were the main reasons for the crackdown on acid house, according to official documents.

While there's a strong belief Margaret Thatcher's government clamped down on the culture due to drug use, a 1989 memo from the Number 10 Policy Unit says otherwise.

In the memo, Carolyn Sinclair stated "nuisance caused by the noise" was a main problem of the outdoor parties, along with organisers making money from unlicensed events.

She added: "Drugs are not the main issue. The parties are a form of unlicensed public entertainment for which people buy tickets.

"What is needed is a way of hitting at the profits made by the organisers. This should discourage the craze."

As shown in the National Archives, Thatcher pledged to tackle the "new fashion" after MP Archie Hamilton sent the Prime Minister a letter from his uncle, who had complained about a 3000-people party in his Hampshire village.

Read our A-Z of Acid here.

[Via: Sky News]

Dave Turner is Mixmag's Digital News Editor, follow him on Twitter