Ibogaine has a very long history. The root of the tabernanthe iboga shrub plays a central role in the spiritual, social, and medical traditions of Uganda and Cameroon, and it has been instrumental in the Pygmy and B’witi cultures of Central Africa. But since Howard Lotsoff began promoting its efficacy in treating heroin addiction, ibogaine has been rapidly progressing into the mainstream of medical and psychological discourse. As a new decade dawns, let’s take a look at how ibogaine’s journey into the mainstream of drug treatment and medical use is progressing.
Big News From Davos
At the World Economic Forum, a joint venture between Atai Life Sciences AG and pharmaceutical company DemeRx Inc. was announced. The companies are investing at least $22 million dollars in a bid to clear synthetic ibogaine compounds for use in treating addiction and depression. As American billionaire Peter Thiel, a large investor in Atai noted “In some circles, psychedelics are still associated with escape from the real world and irresponsible extravagance. With FDA-controlled studies, we will come to see that their most powerful use brings people to mental health and sober sanity in a medical setting.”
This announcement is a massive step forward for the movement to legalize ibogaine therapy, a move which could save hundreds of thousands of lives as the opioid crisis rages on in America and around the world. In 2018, 2.1 million Americans were suffering from opioid use disorder, and 47, 600 died from overdoses. As one recent article celebrating this step forward notes: “Current treatment options for OUD are not only limited but often carry the risk of significant side effects and abuse potential.”
While this is great news for those of us in the global ibogaine community who have been trumpeting the substance’s life-saving, addiction-fighting capabilities for decades, there is still a long way to go. The joint venture will soon submit an application for Phase II clinical trials, building on the extensive data that has already been collected by previous studies and current practitioners. Phase II trials include double-blind, placebo-controlled studies, the creation of dosing guidelines and screening procedures to ensure public safety, and other critical milestones. Success isn’t guaranteed, but acceptance by the medical establishment suddenly appears much closer than it did just one month ago.
This move is proof that we are reaching a tipping point in the movement toward acceptance for psychedelic and entheogenic medicines. Over 400, 000 Americans have now died from an overdose, a death toll greater than the amount of military dead from World War 2. The public is understandably desperate for any treatment that works. This fact, combined with an ever-increasing body of research showing the efficacy of these treatments, and a pharmaceutical industry that is realizing that ‘business as usual’ is no longer acceptable to their patients, are allowing ibogaine to leap over hurdles that seemed massive in 2019.
Ballots Bringing Change
Recent history has shown that the public often is more tolerant, progressive, and open to alternative lifestyles and medicines than lawmakers have assumed. Ballot initiatives in a number of countries have legalized (or decriminalized) things such as gay marriage, cannabis, psilocybin, restoring voting rights to those convicted of drug offenses, and expanding protections for workers.
This November, voters in Washington D.C, will be the first in America with the choice to decriminalize ibogaine, in an initiative that includes other psychoactive substances with medicinal properties including psilocybin and mescaline. The proposed initiative argues that “Practices with entheogenic plants and fungi have long existed, have been considered sacred to a number of cultures and religions for millennia and continue to be enhanced and improved. Citizens of the District of Columbia seeking to improve their health and well-being through the use of entheogenic plants and fungi currently use them in fear of arrest and prosecution.”
While other states and municipalities have explored legalizing these substances, including Oakland, Denver, and Oregon, the Washington, D.C. initiative is the first to explicitly include ibogaine. This fact is evidence that America, traditionally one of the most conservative countries in the world when it comes to drug policy, is coming around to the promise of psychedelic and entheogenic medicines.
Disillusionment with traditional drug manufacturers who pushed deadly and addictive opioid and opiate painkillers on an unsuspecting populace is surely driving this exploration of alternative medicines. As a US military veteran who struggled with depression and PTSD until successfully treating himself with ayahuasca writes in support of this initiative: “It literally changed my life. I don’t believe that psychedelics are a magic bullet or a cure-all [but] I think it’s a shame that these chemicals -plants- have been around for thousands of years, and here we are in 2020 acting like this is some sort of controversy.”
MC-18: Trials Continue
MC-18 is a drug in the development pipeline which seeks to translate all of the benefits ibogaine offers in treating addiction without the psychoactive effects which the root bark causes. The US start-up MindMed has bought the rights to the drug from its original developers, who ran out of funding in the early stages of clinical trials. MindMed has performed a number of successful tests on animals, and are looking to launch clinical trials with human subjects before the year is out. Like the joint venture from Atai and DemeRx, MindMed is well-funded and well-connected, with investors such as Kevin O’Leary, host of the popular TV show “Shark Tank.” While some in the ibogaine community consider the psychoactive elements of the therapy to be fundamental to its effectiveness, any development that could bring its addiction-fighting properties to those in need is worthy of our support.
Turning A Corner
Ibogaine is ready to leap to the forefront of addiction treatment this year. As investments pour in and laws begin to change, we’re very excited to see the potential of this amazing plant be fully realized. If you’re interested in using ibogaine in a safe, clinical setting without fear of arrest or prosecution, get in touch with Tabula Rasa Retreat today!
For further information visit www.tabularasaretreat.com or call PT +351 965 751 649 UK +44 7961 355 530