Former U.S. Senator Calls On Arizona Lawmakers To Pass Ibogaine Research Bill, Pledging To Raise $5 Million To Support Psychedelic Trials
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A recently retired U.S. senator is calling on the Arizona legislature to pass a bill to fund clinical trials into ibogaine, while pledging to personally raise $5 million in philanthropic donations to support the psychedelic research if the legislation is ultimately enacted.
At an Arizona House Appropriations Committee hearing on Monday, members discussed the legislation from Rep. Justin Wilmeth (R), which would provide funding for the state Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to “conduct a certified clinical research study on the use of ibogaine for the treatment of neurological diseases.”
“The goal of the ask is simple: Make Arizona the hub of a revolutionary treatment to help our veterans,” the sponsor said in opening remarks. He then welcomed one of the measure’s supporters: former U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), who also championed psychedelics reform while serving in Congress.
Sinema said that, as a former licensed clinical social worker, she understands the limitations of conventional therapy options for people suffering from conditions such as traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
“Traditional psychotropic medications such as SSRIs and mood stabilizers range between only 20 and 40 percent effective. So clearly, the current arsenal of tools are not working,” she said. “As a result, an increasingly large number of special forces veterans have traveled to northern Mexico in recent years to undergo ibogaine treatment in medically controlled settings.”
“While we don’t yet understand how ibogaine works inside the human brain, early studies have shown overwhelming promise,” Sinema said, listing additional conditions that the psychedelic appears to treat, including addiction and major depression.
“Now, Arizona is perfectly positioned to do this work, as we already have world class neuroscientists and the neurological tools to conduct these studies,” she said.
The Arizona bill as introduced would have appropriated $10 million for the ibogaine clinical trials, but it was amended in committee to halve that amount, while adding language stipulating that the health department can only distribute those dollars if the research institution has a “commitment for matching monies of gifts, grants and donations” of at least $5 million outside of the state coffers.
Sinema said she was up to that task.
“I pledge to [Chairman David Livingston (R)] to raise a matching $5 million from private philanthropists here in Arizona—and, together, these dollars will launch the Arizona ibogaine initiative and start us down the road of sound clinical research that will one day soon result in [federal Food and Drug Administration, or FDA] approval,” the former senator said.
“I hope in the near future that we will see ibogaine as an approved treatment for traumatic brain injury, PTSD, treatment-resistant depression and other neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s and addiction,” she said, adding that her hope is that “eventually this will be available for people throughout the country with all of these disorders.”
Sinema also said that, during her time in the Senate, she worked “very closely” with U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) officials—and she’s also had the opportunity to speak to the incoming secretary of the agency, former Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA), about the issue.
“I’ve had the opportunity to brief him on this issue, and currently the VA at the federal level is continuing its work on research,” Sinema said. “They aren’t currently studying ibogaine; they’re studying other breakthrough treatments. And, again, those are incredibly important to provide clinical care to veterans.”
The former senator was referencing VA’s $1.5 million investment into a study exploring MDMA-assisted therapy for veterans with PTSD and alcohol use disorder—which she separately discussed at an event with then-VA Under Secretary for Health Shereef Elnahal.
But such VA-led studies “do not lead us down a path of FDA approval,” Sinema said. “And so this is a very different path that ensures that, one day, the FDA approves the drug and that it’s available for people outside of the VA system.”
Last year, Sinema visited a VA facility that’s leading psychedelic research efforts.
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Back in Arizona, the ibogaine legislation is being introduced about a year after the state’s Democratic governor vetoed a bill to legalize psilocybin service centers where people could receive the psychedelic in a medically supervised setting.
The measure would have significantly expanded on Arizona’s existing research-focused psychedelics law that provides $5 million in annual funding to support studies into psilocybin therapy.
California Would Launch A Psychedelic Access Program For Veterans And First Responders Under New Bipartisan Bill
Photo courtesy of Flickr/Scamperdale.
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