International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research and Service

ICEERS
Founded2009
FounderBenjamin De Loenen
Legal statusNon-profit organization
FocusResearch and policy issues related to psychoactive plants and traditional medicines
Location
Area served
Worldwide
Websitewww.iceers.org/en/

The International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research, and Service (ICEERS) is a non-profit organization based in Barcelona, Spain, founded in 2009.[1][2]

Its activities address the social, legal, cultural, and health-related dimensions of traditional medicines such as ayahuasca and iboga. The globalization of such practices has generated debates in fields including drug policy, public health, and the protection of Indigenous knowledge. ICEERS has consultative status with the United Nations' ECOSOC.[3]

History

ICEERS was founded in 2009 by Benjamin De Loenen as the International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research, and Service. Its work initially focused on issues related to ayahuasca, iboga, and other psychoactive plants used in traditional contexts. Over time, the organization expanded its activities to include research, public education, harm reduction, and participation in policy discussions.

Projects and activities

ICEERS has been involved in initiatives related to legal support, harm reduction, education, conferences, and research on psychoactive plants and traditional medicines, including legal support services, international conferences, and research projects.

ICEERS provides legal support related to ayahuasca and other traditional Indigenous medicines. This work includes legal information, documentation, and assistance in selected legal cases.[4]

In 2016 the organization launched the Ayahuasca Defense Fund (ADF), now presented as the legal support service of ICEERS for cases involving ayahuasca and other traditional Indigenous medicines.[5] According to ICEERS reports, by 2019 the program had supported more than 100 cases in 27 countries.[6] Later updates from the organization indicate that the program has supported more than 390 people in 47 countries.[7]

ICEERS has collaborated with the Union of Indigenous Yagé Doctors of the Colombian Amazon (UMIYAC), an Indigenous organization that works to preserve traditional medicine practices and cultural heritage in the Colombian Amazon.[8]

Harm reduction services

ICEERS provides harm reduction services for individuals seeking information or assistance after difficult experiences related to psychoactive plants or other non-ordinary states of consciousness.[9] The service offers informational materials, orientation, and referrals related to safety and integration following challenging experiences.

Cannabmed

ICEERS previously organized the Cannabmed conferences on medical cannabis in 2016, 2018 and 2020. These events brought together patients, healthcare professionals and researchers to discuss medical cannabis and related policy issues.

Participants in the conferences included patient organizations and professional groups involved in discussions on medical cannabis regulation, including the Patients Union for Cannabis Regulation and the Endocannabinology Clinical Society.[10][11]

The conferences were held at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, the College of Physicians of Barcelona, and the College of Pharmacists of Barcelona.[12][13][14]

Researchers associated with ICEERS have contributed to academic publications on Cannabis Social Clubs in Spain and Europe.[15][16][17][18][19][20]

PsychēPlants

In 2017, ICEERS received funding from the European Commission for a project called PsychēPlants, which produced reports and informational resources on psychoactive plants, fungi and animal secretions.[21]

World Ayahuasca Conference

The first World Ayahuasca Conference was held in Ibiza, Spain, in 2014, and the second in Rio Branco, Brazil, in 2016. The third edition took place in Girona, Spain, from May 31 to June 2, 2019.

The conferences brought together researchers, Indigenous representatives, policymakers and practitioners to discuss the globalization of ayahuasca practices and related cultural, legal and public health issues.[22]

Iboga/ine Community Engagement Initiative

ICEERS developed the Iboga/ine Community Engagement Initiative, a project aimed at gathering perspectives from stakeholders on the social, cultural, and policy implications of iboga and ibogaine.[23]

Biocultural conservation

ICEERS has participated in projects related to the conservation of psychoactive plants and associated Indigenous knowledge systems, in collaboration with Indigenous organizations and philanthropic foundations.[24]

International activities

ICEERS has participated in international discussions on drug policy, human rights, and traditional Indigenous medicines, including processes linked to United Nations bodies.[25]

In correspondence cited in submissions to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) stated that plants containing DMT, including ayahuasca, are not under international control as plants or preparations.[26]

Research

ICEERS conducts research on the health, cultural, and social dimensions of psychoactive plants and traditional medicines.[27][28]

Research conducted by ICEERS has examined substances such as cannabis, ayahuasca, and ibogaine, as well as the role of traditional medicine practices in public health and Global Mental Health.

Studies associated with the organization have used multidisciplinary approaches combining biomedical research and ethnographic methods.

ICEERS, in collaboration with other institutions, published the Ayahuasca Technical Report,[29] as well as studies on the neuropsychological and mental health effects of ayahuasca and other psychoactive substances.[30][31][32][33][34]

Research associated with ICEERS has involved collaborations with academic institutions including the University of São Paulo, the Rovira i Virgili University, and the Autonomous University of Madrid.

The organization has also participated in research initiatives exploring the potential therapeutic use of ibogaine in the treatment of opioid dependence.[35]

See also

References

  1. ^ "International Center for Ethnobotanical Education Research & Service". The Beckley Foundation. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  2. ^ "ICEERS". Open Society Foundations. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  3. ^ "United Nations Civil Society Participation – Consultative status". United Nations. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  4. ^ "Legal Support". ICEERS. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  5. ^ "Legal Support". ICEERS. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  6. ^ "Ayahuasca Defense Fund Annual Report Sept 2017–Sept 2019" (PDF). ICEERS. June 2020.
  7. ^ "Imprisoned for Ayahuasca: A Battle for Dignity and Justice". ICEERS. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  8. ^ "Las enseñanzas de los indígenas". Cáñamo (in Spanish). July 2018.
  9. ^ "Prevention and Harm Reduction Services". ICEERS. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  10. ^ "Nacimiento de la Unión de Pacientes por la Regulación del Cannabis". ICEERS (in European Spanish). 2 April 2018.
  11. ^ "La Sociedad Clínica de Endocannabinología: una mirada científica". Cannabmed 2020 (in European Spanish). 6 October 2020.
  12. ^ "El Congreso Cannabmed dará voz a los pacientes que utilizan el cannabis". www.comunicae.es (in Spanish).
  13. ^ "II Congreso Cannabmed: un puente entre la medicina cannábica y los pacientes". lasDrogas.info (in Spanish). 5 April 2018.
  14. ^ "III Congreso Cannabmed 2020: «Hacia una farmacopea cannábica»". Cannabmed 2020 (in European Spanish).
  15. ^ Pardal, Mafalda; Decorte, Tom; Bone, Melissa; Parés, Òscar; Johansson, Julia (18 July 2020). "Mapping Cannabis Social Clubs in Europe". European Journal of Criminology. 19 (5): 1016–1039. doi:10.1177/1477370820941392. S2CID 225626208.
  16. ^ Legalizing cannabis: experiences, lessons and scenarios. 10 June 2022.
  17. ^ Parés-Franquero, Òscar; Jubert-Cortiella, Xavier; Olivares-Gálvez, Sergi; Díaz-Castellano, Albert; Jiménez-Garrido, Daniel F.; Bouso, José Carlos (10 June 2019). "Use and Habits of the Protagonists of the Story: Cannabis Social Clubs in Barcelona". Journal of Drug Issues. 49 (4): 607–624. doi:10.1177/0022042619852780. S2CID 196548453.
  18. ^ Jansseune, Laurent; Pardal, Mafalda; Decorte, Tom; Franquero, Òscar Parés (5 December 2018). "Revisiting the Birthplace of the Cannabis Social Club Model and the Role Played by Cannabis Social Club Federations". Journal of Drug Issues. 49 (2): 338–354. doi:10.1177/0022042618815690. S2CID 81294133.
  19. ^ Decorte, Tom; Pardal, Mafalda; Queirolo, Rosario; Boidi, Maria Fernanda; Sánchez Avilés, Constanza; Parés Franquero, Òscar (1 May 2017). "Regulating Cannabis Social Clubs: A comparative analysis of legal and self-regulatory practices in Spain, Belgium and Uruguay". International Journal of Drug Policy. 43: 44–56. doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2016.12.020. hdl:1854/LU-8509050. ISSN 0955-3959. PMID 28189980. S2CID 3934108.
  20. ^ "Innovation Born of Necessity: Pioneering Drug Policy in Catalonia". www.opensocietyfoundations.org.
  21. ^ "Technical Report on Psychoactive Ethnobotanicals" (PDF). ICEERS. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  22. ^ "The First Indigenous Ayahuasca Conference (Yubaka Hayrá) in Acre Demonstrates Political, Cultural and Spiritual Resistance". Chacruna.net. 14 February 2019.
  23. ^ "Strengthening the Global Iboga Community through Engagement". ICEERS. 2019-05-30. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  24. ^ "Strategic Plan 2017" (PDF). ICEERS. 2019.
  25. ^ "ICEERS contribution to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the implementation of the UNGASS joint commitment to effectively addressing and countering the world drug problem with regard to human rights" (PDF). OHCHR. 18 May 2018.
  26. ^ "Letter from ICEERS to OHCHR" (PDF). OHCHR. 11 May 2015.
  27. ^ "Research & Innovation". ICEERS. 22 December 2018.
  28. ^ Bouso, José Carlos; Sánchez-Avilés, Constanza (June 2020). "Traditional Healing Practices Involving Psychoactive Plants and the Global Mental Health Agenda: Opportunities, Pitfalls, and Challenges in the "Right to Science" Framework". Health and Human Rights. 22 (1): 145–150. ISSN 2150-4113. PMC 7348435. PMID 32669796.
  29. ^ Ayahuasca Technical Report (PDF) (Report). International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research and Service (ICEERS). 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  30. ^ Bouso, José Carlos; González, Débora; Fondevila, Sabela; Cutchet, Marta; Fernández, Xavier; Barbosa, Paulo César Ribeiro; Alcázar-Córcoles, Miguel Ángel; Araújo, Wladimyr Sena; Barbanoj, Manel J.; Fábregas, Josep Maria; Riba, Jordi (8 August 2012). "Personality, Psychopathology, Life Attitudes and Neuropsychological Performance among Ritual Users of Ayahuasca: A Longitudinal Study". PLOS ONE. 7 (8) e42421. Bibcode:2012PLoSO...742421B. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0042421. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 3414465. PMID 22905130. S2CID 17944911.
  31. ^ Bouso, José Carlos; Palhano-Fontes, Fernanda; Rodríguez-Fornells, Antoni; Ribeiro, Sidarta; Sanches, Rafael; Crippa, José Alexandre S.; Hallak, Jaime E. C.; de Araujo, Draulio B.; Riba, Jordi (April 2015). "Long-term use of psychedelic drugs is associated with differences in brain structure and personality in humans". European Neuropsychopharmacology. 25 (4): 483–492. doi:10.1016/j.euroneuro.2015.01.008. ISSN 1873-7862. PMID 25637267. S2CID 8486874.
  32. ^ Jiménez-Garrido, Daniel F.; Gómez-Sousa, María; Ona, Genís; Dos Santos, Rafael G.; Hallak, Jaime E. C.; Alcázar-Córcoles, Miguel Ángel; Bouso, José Carlos (2020). "Effects of ayahuasca on mental health and quality of life in naïve users: A longitudinal and cross-sectional study combination". Scientific Reports. 10 (1): 4075. Bibcode:2020NatSR..10.4075J. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-61169-x. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 7057990. PMID 32139811.
  33. ^ Oña, Genís; Bouso, José Carlos (11 December 2019). "Therapeutic potential of natural psychoactive drugs for central nervous system disorders: A perspective from polypharmacology". Current Medicinal Chemistry. 26 (1): 53–68. doi:10.2174/0929867326666191212103330. ISSN 1875-533X. PMID 31830883. S2CID 209341022.
  34. ^ Bouso, José C.; Jiménez-Garrido, Daniel; Ona, Genís; Woźnica, Damian; Dos Santos, Rafael G.; Hallak, Jaime E. C.; Paranhos, Beatriz A. P. B.; de Almeida Mendes, Felipe; Yonamine, Mauricio; Alcázar-Córcoles, Miguel Á; Farré, Magí (July 2020). "Quality of Life, Mental Health, Personality and Patterns of Use in Self-Medicated Cannabis Users with Chronic Diseases: A 12-Month Longitudinal Study". Phytotherapy Research. 34 (7): 1670–1677. doi:10.1002/ptr.6639. hdl:10486/715403. ISSN 1099-1573. PMID 32083789. S2CID 211230549.
  35. ^ "Preliminary Efficacy and Safety of Ibogaine in the Treatment of Methadone Detoxification". ClinicalTrials.gov. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
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