Gabon moves to ban iboga exports as US eyes plant for addiction drugs

Gabon’s council of ministers has taken up a draft decree that would forbid the export of iboga and any of its derivatives, a step intended to safeguard both the plant and the Bwiti cultural practices that surround it. The decision comes as a U.S. executive order and significant funding from Texas have spotlighted ibogaine’s promise for addiction therapy, spurring interest from pharmaceutical firms and costly treatment clinics abroad.

Practitioners such as Apollon Obolo and Djédjé Stéphanie Djoungounda warn that commercial harvesting often involves uprooting the shrub, threatening wild populations that are already scarce and poorly studied. Earlier reports documented illegal over-harvesting in regions between Libreville and Cocobeach, as well as near Mayumba and Lambaréné. In May, Gabon declared iboga-related traditional knowledge a national heritage and set up a sovereign fund to collect royalties, but officials say the export ban is needed to prevent the plant’s disappearance. The debate mirrors earlier disputes over ayahuasca, highlighting the tension between indigenous rights, biodiversity conservation, and a burgeoning global market for plant-based medicines.