Benjamin De Loenen: Ayahuasca Legal Prosecution Worldwide - Connecting the Dots

Ayahuasca faces increasing global legal prosecution as interest grows alongside its traditional and therapeutic use. While the plant mixture remains outside of the 1971 UN Convention guidelines, national law enforcement often misidentifies its chemical composition or targets it as a new psychoactive substance. These legal actions frequently involve police interventions or lengthy court cases that impose heavy burdens on both the practitioners and the communities involved. ICEERS established the Ayahuasca Defense Fund to provide expertise to these cases, helping shift the focus from criminalization toward the recognition of ayahuasca as a cultural and spiritual practice. Effective defense requires meticulous attention to the cultural context of use, clear distinctions between administrative and criminal legal processes, and the strategic alignment of supporting community networks.