A DEA Visit, A Psychedelic Plant, And A Controversy Bloom At Miami University
" Organizations are pushing back against Miami University in Ohio after a plant put two tenured faculty members' jobs at risk.
In December, Miami University Provost Phyllis Callahan suspended tenured Professors John Cinnamon and Daniel Gladish. Months later, they were informed their positions could be terminated, causing an uproar from the academic community.
Cinnamon and Gladish's employment was called into question after the Miami University Police Department and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) found an Iboga tree in the Hamilton Campus Conservatory. Native to Gabon, Africa, the alkaloid ibogaine occurs naturally in the shrub and, in large doses, can induce a psychedelic state. The Iboga tree had actually been on campus grounds for more than a decade, but came to the attention of authorities after a student claimed to have taken seeds to cultivate a plant off campus.
Cinnamon, the university claimed in the suspension letters, illegally imported Iboga seeds from Gabon in 2004 and gave them to Gladish for the purpose of growing the tree in the conservatory. This violated the Drug-Free Workplace policy and the Reporting and Addressing Illegal Activity and Misconduct policy, which were grounds for termination. Neither Cinnamon nor Gabon have been charged with any crimes... full article https://www.newsweek.com/miami-university-professor-iboga-tree-controversy-1449791
" Organizations are pushing back against Miami University in Ohio after a plant put two tenured faculty members' jobs at risk.
In December, Miami University Provost Phyllis Callahan suspended tenured Professors John Cinnamon and Daniel Gladish. Months later, they were informed their positions could be terminated, causing an uproar from the academic community.
Cinnamon and Gladish's employment was called into question after the Miami University Police Department and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) found an Iboga tree in the Hamilton Campus Conservatory. Native to Gabon, Africa, the alkaloid ibogaine occurs naturally in the shrub and, in large doses, can induce a psychedelic state. The Iboga tree had actually been on campus grounds for more than a decade, but came to the attention of authorities after a student claimed to have taken seeds to cultivate a plant off campus.
Cinnamon, the university claimed in the suspension letters, illegally imported Iboga seeds from Gabon in 2004 and gave them to Gladish for the purpose of growing the tree in the conservatory. This violated the Drug-Free Workplace policy and the Reporting and Addressing Illegal Activity and Misconduct policy, which were grounds for termination. Neither Cinnamon nor Gabon have been charged with any crimes... full article https://www.newsweek.com/miami-university-professor-iboga-tree-controversy-1449791