FWIIW, this research is not new. As the article noted, the drug is a relative of Ibogaine, which people have noticed has some "anti-addiction" properties for ..

FWIIW, this research is not new. As the article noted, the drug is a relative of Ibogaine, which people have noticed has some "anti-addiction" properties for ... oh, I don't know; at least 50 years now (probably it was used for this purpose by the pygmies who actually discovered it). The article didn't note that one of the early therapeutic uses of LSD and other psychedelics: treatment of alcoholism and drug addiction. It was reasonably successful; there is no reason to believe the Ibogaine has any special properties that make it work better. While I haven't examined the literature in detail, it's pretty obvious (from my youthful indiscretions, and observations of others) that tripping balls might give you a sort of "come to Jesus" moment that makes drinking and smoking crack seem like kind of a bad idea. Or, perhaps it temporarily blows out your dopamine system. Either way, if this substance works like the other psychedelic treatments, it should be obvious it isn't a long term effective treatment for drug addiction, since plenty of psychedelic users end up addicted to other drugs, and nobody talks about dropping acid and deciding to quit snorting coke (despite similar clinical successes in the 50s). Not that I think the FDA should block this; even if it is psychedelic snake oil, they shouldn't be in the business of blocking research on such topics.