Hallucinogenic treatment for drug addiction growing in Canada, says Toronto ibogaine provider

Public awareness of a little-known hallucinogenic drug that some consider to be the ideal treatment to battle drug addiction is growing every day, according to the operator of a Toronto clinic.

Ibogaine is an opiate derived from the African igoba tree, that some claim can help heroin abusers overcome their addiction. The substance made headlines recently after CBC News reported on a Newfoundland entrepreneur offering treatment to users in St. John's.

Matthew Zielinski, director of the Toronto Ibogaine Centre, told Yahoo Canada News on Monday that he has been operating his own facility for about five years and has seen for himself the benefits of the treatment, and its recent growth in popularity.

"The awareness of ibogaine is growing at a rapid pace. There are tons of documentaries and tons of scientific data out there now," Zielinski said. "This is not a scam. Everybody who comes in to the experience, everybody is skeptical. This is one of those things that seems too good to be true."

The topic of ibogaine in Canada has popped up from time to time. Noted marijuana activist Marc Emery, who recently concluded a U.S. prison sentence, briefly ran an ibogaine centre in 2003.

British Columbia health officials investigated another clinic in 2008 for using the hallucinogenic as a dug-detox treatment. And this week CBC News reported on a recovering addiction operating a counselling service in St. John's, NFLD, which has raised concerns among the local medical community.

"[Addicts] will go after any substance that will claim to make them better immediately and that really scares me," said Dr. Bruce Hollett, an addictions expert with Waterford Hospital. "It scares me that they will go and take medications, drugs or substances that have not been proven or accepted."

Zielinski is not a medical professional. He is a former heroin addict who, in 2005, underwent his own round of ibogaine treatment. He established the Toronto Ibogaine Centre five years ago and says he has treated close to 300 people over that time.

The centre assists no more than two people at a time, and charges $4,500 for the days-long stay.

"This is definitely an unorthodox way to treat addiction. However, with all the scientific data that is available right now, the results really speak for themselves," Zielinski said. He added that based on those he has treated, and his own experience, the treatment eliminates about 90 per cent of symptoms.

"If you go cold turkey you are facing days or weeks of hell. The diarrhea, the puking, the stomach cramps and hot and cold flashes. The feeling of crawling out of your skin. It is a very uncomfortable experience."

Various studies have been conducted on ibogaine over the years, many of which appear to corroborate the suggestion that it can help overcome addiction withdrawal symptoms and drug cravings.

But there are noted concerns as well, including potentially promoting cardiac arrhythmias, possible seizures caused by withdrawal, hallucinations and body tremors. It has been connected to the death of 19 people, between 1990 and 2008.

Many of those who seek treatment at the Toronto facility are locals or from other parts of Canada, but Zielinski said he has also seen plenty of Americans come in search of help.

While ibogaine is not considered an appropriate drug treatment method by Health Canada, it is not a banned substance either. It has, however, been declared illegal in several countries, including Australia and the United States.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration lists ibogaine in its poisonous plant database and considers it a Schedule 1 drug under the Controlled Substances Act.

Zielinski told Yahoo Canada News that ibogaine helps eliminate addiction withdrawal symptoms, but it is not a magic elixir. Those seeking to beat their drug addiction may still need to control later craving and need to be committed to getting better. He says Health Canada should approve the use of ibogaine as an accepted treatment, though he holds no expectation that it will ever happen.

"With ibogaine, most people do require a couple of treatments. Because ending addiction is a really complicated matter. There are many issues involved," he said. "What ibogaine gives you, it gives you the window of opportunity to set your life straight. You've got to use that opportunity to reset your rules, to retrain your brain."