Howard Lotsof

Howard Lotsof was a New York-based activist and former drug addict who played a pivotal role in bringing attention to ibogaine, a compound derived from the iboga plant. In the 1980s, he was the first to advocate for its potential as a treatment for addiction, leading to significant research developments. Lotsof's efforts included persuading the Gabonese government to provide a stock of iboga for scientific study in the United States, which ultimately resulted in several American patents on ibogaine without proper acknowledgment or compensation to the Gabonese communities.