Could an African plant root called Iboga cure chronic drug addiction? Documentary filmmaker David Graham Scott seems to think so. On Iboga Nights, Scott sets out to observe the effects of the psychedelic root on several heartrending subjects who have become withered slaves to addiction.
Scott can attest to the effectiveness of iboga from personal experience. As documented in his 2004 film titled “Detox or Die,” he attempted to overcome his heroin addiction by prescribing methadone, a popular opioid substitution therapy embraced by the medical mainstream. Like many addicts, his methadone addiction eventually became more troublesome and draining than the addiction it was designed to treat. Desperate for a cure, Scott decides to risk ibogaine treatment and is shocked to discover that he can kick his crippling heroin habit with just one dose of the mysterious root.
A mainstay of certain tribal rituals because of its ability to induce hallucinatory episodes of spiritual awakening, iboga has been hailed as a panacea for the cravings and withdrawals that accompany addiction, but its overwhelming potency can also be potentially dangerous. Evidence of the latter comes early in the film, when Scott turns the camera on the activities of an iboga treatment clinic where addicts gather in a Dutch suburb for the controversial treatment. While two subjects at the clinic miraculously recovered without quitting within hours, one of the patients was rushed to hospital and placed on life support after he stopped breathing.
Does iboga represent a viable solution to this growing crisis, or does its success or failure rate depend on unrecognized factors? More serious scientific research is needed to further verify the effectiveness of iboga root as an addiction treatment, but this is unlikely. The medical industry is too focused on the profit motive to explore the concept of a single dose for a disease as pervasive as addiction. With great humanity and curiosity, Iboga Nights pleads for compassion, understanding and renewed commitment to the millions of drug addicts whose lives are currently at stake.
