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Addiction Treatment Strives for Legitimacy
by Brian Vastag
 Continued from last month
...In a 1996 radio interview with WBAI in New York City, Mash said that, in
the French case, the patient "was very sick, she had a very sick heart
and she shouldn't have been given ibogaine under any circumstances. . .
." And in the second death, "we don't completely know the mechanism of
lethality, but it did appear to be respiratory collapse in this case.
The bottom line is that you need to be under medical supervision. . . .
Ibogaine is an important drug but it is not to be used outside the
medical establishment, not ever, ever, ever."
part II
Despite Mash's warnings, unsanctioned ibogaine use appears to be
soaring. A sophisticated "underground railroad" of sorts has sprung up
in New York, spearheaded by Dana Beal, a long-time marijuana
legalization advocate. When heroin- or cocaine-addicted individuals
develop an interest in ibogaine, they often call Beal, who acts as
intake counselor.
During an interview in his home, the one-time headquarters of the
radical 1960s Yipster Times newspaper, Beal said that if he thinks
someone is a good candidate for ibogaine, he helps arrange a visit to an
informal clinic. |
The best known operation, according to Beal, is in the Netherlands at
the Amsterdam home of Sara Glatt, who practices various types of
alternative medicine.
Glatt has treated some 85 people during the last 3
years. When an addicted individual arrives, Glatt asks for a history of
heart problems or bad experiences with psychedelic drugs. Judging from
that information and the individual's weight, Glatt provides between 2 g
and 6 g of powdered
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iboga, the whole-plant extract that contains at
least a dozen active ingredients in addition to ibogaine.
Whereas Glatt charges upward of $1000 for her services, the newest
clinic, in Vancouver, British Columbia, offers free ibogaine. The
clinic's founder, Marc Emery, won 2000 of 140 000 votes in the 2002
Vancouver mayoral election running on a platform of open access to
ibogaine.
He recently ...»»
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