Risk management in a global market of alternative addiction care: a case study of the ibogaine medical subculture
Johan Söderberg, Jakob Lundgren
Social Theory & Health June 27, 2025 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1057/s41285-025-00220-1 via OpenAlex
Summary
Ibogaine, a controlled substance with potential addiction-interrupting properties, is being used in underground and offshore clinics despite its illegal status. Practitioners have developed strategies to reduce harm from this potentially cardiotoxic drug. The case study highlights the challenges of creating a governance structure for this medical subculture without public funding or regulations, suggesting that the global market for alternative addiction care may reflect broader trends in future healthcare systems.
Study at a glance
| Design | case study |
|---|---|
| Population | addicts and harm reduction activists using ibogaine for addiction treatment |
| Key finding | The case study reveals the efforts of practitioners to mitigate harm from administering ibogaine in the absence of legal and regulatory support. |
Abstract
Abstract The controlled substance “ibogaine” is reported to have unique addiction-interrupting properties. Due to its illegal status, the drug's application for treating substance dependency has been explored by a network of addicts and harm reduction activists in underground and off-shore clinics. The article investigates the strategies that practitioners have adopted to mitigate harm from administrating this potentially cardiotoxic drug. The case study invites us to probe the affordances (or lack thereof) of a medical subculture to create a global governance structure in the absence of public funding and state regulations. The wider significance of the case study rests on our theoretical claim that the global market in alternative addiction care is indicative of the future of a market-based healthcare system at large.