‘The drug is derived from the Tabernanthe iboga plant, found mainly in Gabon in central Africa. The powerful hallucinogen has long been used there in the initiation ritual that is part of the Bwiti spiritual tradition, involving an intense all-night group ceremony of dance and music and fire-keeping that culminates in a trancelike state.

Knowledge of the drug spread to the United States in 1962, when an American named Howard Lotsof tried ibogaine and found that it cured him of his addiction to heroin. His campaign to explore ibogaine’s potential as a cure for substance abuse has gained momentum more recently as nonprofit groups like the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies and Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions (VETS) have assisted military veterans in using ibogaine to treat combat-related traumas. Because of the association with veterans, ibogaine has received the kind of legitimizing attention from political leaders, including conservatives, that is rare for psychedelics.…’ (Robert Draper via The New York Times)