Ibogaine - in Popular Culture

In Popular Culture

In 1972, journalist Hunter S. Thompson accused Democratic candidate Edmund Muskie of being addicted to ibogaine in a satirical piece while covering the Wisconsin primaries of the 1972 U.S. Presidential primaries for Rolling Stone magazine. Many readers, and even other journalists, did not realize that Thompson's assertion was facetious. The claim was completely unfounded, and Thompson himself is documented in the movie Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson discussing the self-fabricated joke of Muskie's alleged ibogaine use and his surprise that anyone actually believed the claim. The original piece appeared in a slightly different form in Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72.

In 2012, National Geographic Channel aired on January 15 an episode titled "Hallucinogens" as an episode of Drugs, Inc.. The episode featured Ibogaine along with other hallucinogens.

Ibogaine factors into the stories of these television drama episodes:

  • "Via Negativa". The X-Files. episode 7. season 8. 17 December 2000. Fox Broadcasting Company.
  • "Getting Off". CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. episode 16. season 4. 26 February 2004. CBS.
  • "Users". Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. episode 7. season 11. 4 November 2009. NBC.
  • "Echoes". Nikita. episode 16. season 1. 24 February 2011. The CW Television Network.

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