Ibogaine Approved as Prescription Medicine in New Zealand

Medsafe New Zealand Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority of the Ministry of Health. Minutes of the 42nd meeting of the Medicines Classification Committee. Wellington, NZ: New Zealand Government; 2009 [Accessed 2010 July 10]; Available from: http://www.medsafe.govt.nz/Profs/class/mccMin03Nov2009.htm

Extract:

“The Committee was provided with a table of data which attempted to state what is known regarding ibogaine related fatalities in the public domain. The figures suggest that the number of deaths due to methadone, the most controlled substance, were a little higher that those associated with ibogaine, which is unregulated.

The most frequently reported use for ibogaine is for the reduction or elimination of addiction to opiates. Ibogaine is reported to alleviate the symptoms of opiate withdrawal. It has also been suggested that ibogaine may be useful in treating dependence to other substances such as alcohol, methamphetamine and nicotine.

Given its use for the therapeutic purpose of managing/treating addiction and the need for this treatment to be under supervision, Medsafe believed that there was a case for classifying ibogaine and its metabolite noribogaine as prescription medicines. This would not necessarily restrict the medical use in a therapeutic environment but would limit attempts at self treatment and prevent its development for recreational use as a “party pill”, even though the documented experience of using it is usually not that pleasant.

Medsafe had also sought opinion from a psychiatrist who is proposing to conduct a clinical study utilising ibogaine. He was of the opinion that although its appeal as a recreational drug is low, he shared concerns that use in an ad hoc fashion as a self medication for drug addiction could occur following the media interest in the product and that this could be dangerous. The psychiatrist was supportive of classification of ibogaine as a prescription medicine.

Due to the potential for therapeutic use of the product, the safety profile and the potential for misuse, Medsafe suggested that the substance ibogaine and its metabolite noribogaine met the criteria for classification under the Medicines Act 1981. This would provide ability to control the import and supply of ibogaine, its metabolite or any products containing each or both of the substances.”

Howard Lotsof’s NYT Obituary

Howard Lotsof’s NYT Obituary

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/17/us/17lotsof.html?hpw

Howard Lotsof Discover of Ibogaine’s Anti-Dependence Properties Passes Away

On Sunday 31st January at 6pm New York time  Howard Lotsof, discoverer of ibogaine’s anti-dependence properties and tireless campaigner for the rights of chemically dependent people, passed on quietly in Staten Island University Hospital. His wife & best friend, Norma, was by his side.

We all extend out sympathies to Norma and to those who will miss him dearly. He was an inspiration to many and embodied his own belief in service as a noble pursuit of man.

May he rest in peace.

Funeral Arrangements

Friday, February 5 at 10am.
Harmon Funeral Home
571 Forest Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10310-2575
(718) 442 5056

Donations can be made toward the purchase of a headstone by emailing Claire Wilkins at  lavidaclarita@yahoo.com where details of a paypal account are available.

N.E. Ibogaine Forum February 13-15

9 Bleecker St., NYC.

Preliminary Draft:

Q&A with director Michel Negroponte

http://stfdocs.com/films/im_dangerous_with_love/

I’M DANGEROUS WITH LOVEQ&A with director Michel Negroponte

IFC Center

323 Sixth Ave. @ 3rd St.

WINTER SEASON SPECIAL
STF kicks off its new season with this December sneak preview, leading up to the official Winter Season that will run Jan. 12 – March 16.

I’M DANGEROUS WITH LOVE – A MICHEL NEGROPONTE FILM

http://www.michelnegroponte.com/imdangerouswithlove.html

I’M DANGEROUS WITH LOVE premiering at the Sheffield/Doc/Fest

“I’M DANGEROUS WITH LOVE is like a boxer. It’s a powerhouse. Brutally honest, hilarious, incisive, heroic. To capture a character who lives against the odds is one thing. Negroponte doesn’t just go the extra mile to capture story and character – he goes an extra light year and takes the audience with him. Its one of those docs that’s going to walk all over the festival circuit like it fucking owns the place.” -Sheffield Doc/Fest

I’M DANGEROUS WITH LOVE is about addiction and rehabilitation, activism and shamanism. Dimitri Mugianis who starts out as the heavily addicted front man for the band Leisure Class ends his long drug and alcohol addiction with an experimental treatment that uses the hallucinogen ibogaine.

African shamans have used ibogaine in their rituals for centuries, but in the U.S. it is a Schedule 1 controlled substance. No longer a drug user, Dimitri illegally takes addicts through the same detox that he says saved his life.

I’M DANGEROUS WITH LOVE is an underground adventure that traces Dimitri’s risky journey as he treats desperate drug users. He is a man of edgy energy going from one addict to the next without stopping to catch his breath. But then one session goes bad in a remote snowed-in Canadian home, and a quiet young man almost dies. Dimitri must decide whether or not to continue his mission. Is it serving the addicts or simply releasing his own demons? Dimitri travels to Gabon, West Africa, to consult with Bwiti shamans, and puts himself through a punishing iboga initiation in search of guidance.

2009 85 minutes
Directed by Michel Negroponte
Written by Nick Pappas and Joni Wehrli • Animation by Lisa Crafts • Music and Sound Design by Brooks Williams and Beo Morales • Photographed and Edited by Michel Negroponte • Executive Producers Julie Goldman, Krysanne Katsoolis, Caroline Stevens • Produced by Blackbridge Productions in association with Cactus Three

Sales and distribution information

Visit our photo galleries: Michel Negroponte’s I’M DANGEROUS WITH LOVE
and Ashley Valmere’s photos, “Ibogaine in New York City”

1st Conference of Dialogs between Medicines. Treatment of addictions with traditional medicines.

1st Conference of Dialogs between Medicines.
Treatment of addictions with traditional medicines.
Presentation:
This is the first Conference of medical experts, aimed at exchanging knowledge of different medicines practiced around the world. Traditional medicine exists in all cultures and must co-exist with Allopathic Medicine, which has been adopted by governments world-wide.

In recognition of the globalization of traditional medicine, the GASS association seeks to reflect on the pace of this globalization and to exchange knowledge which will create new approaches and therapeutic opportunities. Our conference will offer valuable insights from professionals with exceptional knowledge in the treatment of addictions: Dr. Roman Paskulin, Dr. Jorge Hurtado, Dr.Jacques Mabit and Lcdo. Sacha Domenech, all of whom are working to develop new therapies using plants and techniques from traditional medicines in Africa and South America, including the Amazonian Ayahuasca, the San Pedro Cactus, the Andine Coca leaf, and the African Iboga.

All conferences will be translated into English.

Program Date: October 31 , 2009.
Location: c/Roc Boronat 81-95, 08005 Barcelona

09:00 09:30 Welcome and Acknowledgements
09:30 09:45 Music performance with Anna Giménez and Tckika.
09:45 10:00 Welcome. Dr. Joan Colom. Subdirector General de drogodepencències del Departament de Salut de la Generalitat de Catalunya.
10:00 11:00 Dr. Roman talks about the therapeutic use of African Iboga.
11:15 12:15 Dr. Sacha Domenech talks about the therapeutic use of the Andean San Pedro Cactus.

Lunch and video presentation to provide additional information about our speakers.

16:00 17:00 Dr. Jorge Hurtado talks about the therapeutic use of the Andean Coca Plant.
17:15 18:15 Dr. Jacques Mabit talks about the therapeutic use of the Amazonica Ayahuasca.
18:45 19:30 Roundtable discussion among the speakers.

After each speech, there will be 15-20 minute question and answer sessions.

Enrollment.
Prices:
To enroll, complete the form on the GASS web page http://gass.cat
Enrolment will be confirmed after your payment has been validated. You should submit receipt of bank transaction to FAX 93 427 90 93 or email to secretaria@gass.cat (please include first and last name)

Until 20/09/09. After 20/09/09
Students 30€ 45€
ONG Members 35€ 50€
General Public 40€ 55€

Scientific Direction
Dr. Roman Paskulin, Slovenia:
OMI Director, Anthropological Medicine Institute of Slovenia: Dr Paskulin will highlight his experience in the research and treatment of addictions using the Iboga plant from traditional African bwiti medicine.

Dr. Sacha Domenech, Argentina:
Psychologist, co-founder of the Runa Wasi centre in Argentina. For 20 years, Dr Domenech, along with a team of doctors, has been treating addictions using the Wachuma or San Pedro Cactus, and other plants.

Dr. Jorge Hurtado, Bolivia:
Psychiatrist, Director of the Coca Museum in La Paz, Bolivia. Dr Hurtado researches traditional techniques which use the coca plant to treat cocaine addicts. He recently won a Science and Technology award for the development of coca leaf pills to treat cocaine addiction.

Dr. Jacques Mabit, France:
Doctor, researcher in plateau and mazon Peruvian medicine. He funded the Takiwasi Centre for Drug Rehabilitation and Research of Traditional Medicines in 1992, with the support of the European Union and the Volunteers Program for United Nations. In 1996, he was co-founder of the Consejo Interamericano sobre la Espiritualidad Indigena (CISEI-Mexico). In 2001 he co-founded the International Network of Traditional Ayahuasqueros Doctors (RIMTAY-Peru).

Technical Coordination: Mr. Eduard Casas. GASS President.

More Info: http://gass.cat

Support from: Health goverment from Catalonia (Departament de Salut, Generalitat de Catalunya)

Howard Lotsof Medical Benefit

Benefit for Howard Lotsof – Ibogaine Pioneer and Activist

[Paypal donations can be made to Clare S. Wilkins, The Ibogaine Association, email address lavidaclarita@yahoo.com. She can be called directly on her USA cellphone: 213-505-5992.]

Please join us Saturday evening, September 26th, for a very special evening in honor of Howard Lotsof, ibogaine pioneer and activist (to be held at the Judson Memorial Church during the Horizons: Perspectives on Psychedelics conference
– www.horizonsnyc.org).

Many of you are aware of the dedication and devotion Howard has brought to his work with ibogaine for over four decades. Working tirelessly in support of safe and effective treatment for those suffering under the yoke of opiate addiction, Howard has been a beacon of light and hope, and has had incalculable positive effect on innumerable lives. Known affectionately as “The Father of the Modern Ibogaine Movement,” Howard was the first to discover the addiction-interrupting effect of ibogaine. Since 1962, Howard’s mission has been to make ibogaine legal, available, and safe – and to encourage further research into this remarkable substance.

Howard and his muse, partner, and loving wife Norma have continued this important work for decades, making many personal sacrifices along the way.

As many of his friends know, Howard is quite ill with advanced stage liver cancer and now we want to give something back. With his innate fighting spirit, Howard continues his work on behalf of a growing and grateful ibogaine community. Yet his medical expenses are mounting and we are now asking you to help. Our benefit event in celebration of Howard and his life’s work will be held 7-9PM at Judson Memorial Church, 55 Washington Square South, New York, NY (A, C, E, B, D, F, V to W. 4th St); a light dinner will be provided, followed by a discussion of the current state of ibogaine research and Howard’s work by Rick Doblin, President and Founder of MAPS, theMultidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (www.maps.org), psychologist Neal Goldsmith, and others sharing anecdotes supporting ibogaine and celebrating Howard’s life. We are asking for a one-hundred dollar donation, but please feel free to give whatever you can to help ease the financial burden on this great man and his family. Howard’s noble work has allayed so much pain and saved so many lives, we are honored to have this opportunity to be of service to him now.

Please RSVP to John Harrison at jakaileb@hotmail.com, as soon as possible, so we can gauge how much food to provide. Thank you for your support – we look forward to seeing you Saturday, September 26th!

Thank you,
Randolph Hencken, M.A., B.S.
Communications and Marketing Director, MAPS
MAPS office: 831-429-MDMA (6362)
randy@maps.org

MAPS–the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies – We’re putting the “MD” back in “MDMA”

*The first time you send an email to me, you will need to respond to a challenge email in order for me to receive your email.

Dana Beal Arrest Information

Dana is being held at Saunders County Jail

Details of his arrest can be found here:

http://www.ketv.com/news/21173912/detail.html

He can receive mail at:

Irvin Beal #6669
Saunders County Jail
387 North Chestnut
Wahoo, NE 68066

His bail has been set at $500,000.

He can make collect calls & receive visitors. They will not take messages for him. You can call the jail directly at: 402/944.2222. He is being held in Dorm 18 which is the drug offenders section.

Donations for Dana can be sent via Paypal, made payable to:

Douglas Greene
douggreene@earthlink.net

Aron Kay is working on all of this. The email address set up for correspondence is: freedanabeal@gmail.com. Aron can be reached at: 347/962.5024

Free Dana Beal blogspot: http://freedanabeal.blogspot.com/2009/10/help-free-dana-beal.html
Facebook group is @: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=143405647913

Ibogaine Panel 14 Nov 2009

Ibogaine: Medical Practice, Science, and African Heritage

Date: 14th Nov. 2009

Time: 3.00pm-4.30pm

Location: International Drug Policy Reform Conference, Albuquerque, NM

The discovery of ibogaine’s use as an anti-addictive from the West
African plant, Tabernanthe iboga, has been principally championed by
drug user advocates in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, New
Zealand, Australia, Slovenia, Gabon and South Africa. Some scenes have
grown while others have declined. After decades of drug availability
suddenly supplies of ibogaine used in treatment was interrupted.
Botanical sources had to be found and manufacturing technologies
reevaluated by those skilled in the chemistry and manufacture. Amidst
all of these changes, the sharing of knowledge, cross cultural
understanding and the debt long owed to Africa was acknowledged
precipitating the organization of a Federation of Worldwide Ibogaine
Practitioners. This panel is that story.

Moderator:
Howard S. Lotsof, United States

Panelists:
Jeffrey Kamlet, MD, United States
Anwar Jeewa, South Africa
Dimitri Mobengo Mugianis, United States and Gabon
Clare Wilkins, Mexico and United States
Moughenda Mickala, Gabon and United States

For more information see:

http://www.ibogaine.desk.nl/intdrugpol09.html