Over 100 academics, psychologists, anthropologists and activists have signed a manifesto launched by the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines calling for an end to police raids on ayahuasca ceremonies in Spain.
The ceremonial use of ayahuasca dates back centuries across countries such as Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, and has spread to other parts of the world, including Spain.
The Chacruna Institute has said that a wave of police raids in Spain are a part of an intentional campaign of “fear, mistrust and misinformation” aimed at calling into question an “ancestral practice that offers numerous benefits for its participants, benefits repeatedly supported by science”, according to a press statement from supporters, Plantaforma para la Defensa de la Ayahuasca (the Platform for the Defense of Ayahuasca).
The raids were spurred on when Santo Daime – a Brazilian religion that uses ayahuasca – was infiltrated and targeted by a YouTuber who accused the group of brainwashing and of providing illicit drugs without health or safety precautions.
The international control of ayahuasca
According to the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) ayahuasca is not subject to international controls – despite it containing DMT.
In a letter to the Dutch Health Ministry, the INCB states: “No plants (natural materials) containing DMT are at present controlled under the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances.
“Consequently, preparations (e.g. decoctions) made of these plants including ayahuasca are not under international control and, therefore, are not subject to any of the articles of the 1971 Convention.”
Non-profit, The International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research, and Service (ICEERS) highlights that: “The traditional uses of plants that contain listed psychoactive ingredients are exempt from the Convention, insofar as they are limited to certain groups and territories and unique cultural forms. These traditional uses are still subject to a series of conditions.”
The responsible regulation of ayahuasca
In light of the police raids, the manifesto, ‘A Call for Public Support Against the Current Demonization of Ayahuasca Practices in Spain’, posits that ayahuasca is not a threat to public health and the substance has numerous benefits for public and social health, as shown by a number of scientific studies.
It calls for the responsible regulation of ayahuasca use, highlighting a number of items that support its responsible use that are already established. These include the Statement on Ayahuasca, the Manual de Recomendaciones para el uso de la Ayahuasca, the Ayahuasca-Good Practices Guide and the Ayahuasca Technical Report 2021.
The manifesto states: “We cannot simply accept the fact that ayahuasca groups are being treated as criminals, having their homes and workplaces raided by the police with machine guns.
“The recognition and accommodation of minorities need to be part of the political agenda.”
It also goes on to say: “In the midst of this scenario of arrests, prosecutions, sensational reports, and the spread of fear, mistrust, and misinformation, it is necessary to approach the issue judiciously, setting aside prejudices and preconceptions.
“It is crucial at a time like this to analyse the accumulated knowledge about the religious use of ayahuasca, as well as to understand the contexts in which the regulation of the drink has occurred successfully, creating public policy models that can be studied and adopted in other countries.”
The manifesto also highlights examples of the successful regulation of ayahuasca, such as a United States Supreme Court ruling in 2006 which granted União do Vegetal the right to import and consume ayahuasca, a similar victory in 2006 for Santo Daime in Oregon, and the granting of five exemptions in Canada that allow groups to practice their religion without legal restrictions.
It states: “These examples highlight that ayahuasca can be successfully regulated, not only in countries where its use is part of the cultural practices of traditional populations, but also in very different social, cultural, and economic settings.
“The cases in South America, and the exemptions granted in the United States and Canada, are proof that compromises can be made; that there are possible ways to successfully regulate the use of ayahuasca, not only protecting the rights of ayahuasca groups and traditional populations, but also creating codes of ethics and guidelines for its responsible use.”
Backed by leading academics
The manifesto has been signed by some of the world’s leading psychedelic researchers and advocates, including Rick Doblin, founder of MAPS; David Bronner, CEO of Dr. Bronner’s; anthropologist Edward MacRae, leading scholar of the Santo Daime church; Helle Kaasik, Ayahuasca researcher; Doctor of Pharmacology José Carlos Bouso; psychiatrist and writer Ben Sessa, and Spanish researcher Carlos Suárez Álvarez.
Speaking to Psychedelic Health, Professor of Social Anthropology at the School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Dr Daniela Peluso, who has also backed the manifesto, commented: “The recent arrests seem to have been catalysed by sensationalist and misleading ‘reporting’ done by a YouTuber who is blatantly biased against the ritual use of ayahuasca and who acquired selective information through deceptive methods and without authorisation – thus indicating his predisposed malicious intent.
“His unbalanced views are carried out in a zealous ‘Raiders of the Lost Arc’ fashion which is dangerous and misleading for the serious examination of any subject, never mind the already controversial use and approval of psychedelics in specific contexts.
“His targeting and misrepresentation … is a distortion of their important work and all the important work being done by others and those which are yet to come.”
Plantaforma para la Defensa de la Ayahuasca, with the support of ICEERS and the Ayahuasca Defense Fund (ADF), has now launched a crowdfunding campaign to pay for a series of documentaries on ayahuasca and its legal defense in court.
Find out more about the campaign at: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ayudanos-a-defender-la-ayahuasca#/
