Former Texas Governor And U.S. Senator Meet With State Lawmakers To Form National Ibogaine Access Plan
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Drug policy reform advocates, public health experts and current and former government officials met for a summit in Colorado over the weekend to discuss how to move forward with state-led clinical research into ibogaine as a treatment for addiction, trauma and various neurodegenerative conditions.
Attendees at the three-day Aspen Ibogaine Meeting discussed science and policy around the plant-based psychedelic as well as how to go about building the necessary financial and legal infrastructure to proceed with clinical development.
Among the participants at the closed-door event were former Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) and former U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), both of whom have been advocating for ibogaine reform in their home states.
Others included two Kentucky state senators, a state senator from Indiana and state representatives from Ohio, Missouri, Michigan, Mississippi and West Virginia, organizers told Marijuana Moment.
“Several state delegations included high-level government officials in non-elected roles,” added a media contact for the event, “as well as leaders in mental health and addiction policy.”
All told, representatives of 15 states—Arizona, Kentucky, Texas, Ohio, New York, Nevada, Michigan, Mississippi, Tennessee, New Mexico, West Virginia, Missouri, Indiana, and Washington—were in attendance, including “elected officials, public health leaders, state health department representatives, and legal and financial officers responsible for opioid settlement fund allocations,” according to a press release from organizers.
“What emerged was a proposed model for multistate collaboration—one that prioritizes cost-sharing, risk reduction, and a more efficient path to clinical development,” the release says. “By pooling resources and coordinating efforts, participating states aim to harmonize state-led clinical initiatives under a common effort to ensure safety and efficacy and minimize risk.”
Organizers of the summit are hailing it as a monumental success.
“This was more than just a meeting,” Bryan Hubbard, executive director of the American Ibogaine Initiative and co-organizer of the Aspen Ibogaine Meeting, said in a statement. “It was the beginning of a movement. Leaders from across the country are coming together to say: we must do better—and ibogaine may be one of the most promising tools we have to change the future trajectory of the American society.”
On social media Tuesday, Hubbard further described the collaboration as a game-changer, calling it “America’s next Manhattan Project.”
The next iteration of the Aspen Ibogaine Meeting is scheduled for October, according to the event press release.
On the research side, another attendee was psychiatrist Sue Sisley, who’s led clinical studies into various controlled substances, including marijuana and psychedelics.
Sisley said in a brief phone call with Marijuana Moment this week that she’s optimistic that future Aspen Ibogaine Meetings will continue to build momentum.
She noted that a major obstacle to conducting randomized controlled trials around controlled substances is funding, which collaboration between states could help address.
According to the framework proposed at the event, states that contribute money to the ibogaine research “will have early access to future treatment programs when ibogaine therapy gains approval,” the press release says.
“If successful,” it adds, “this strategy could serve as a blueprint for financing additional research into ibogaine’s potential to treat a range of mental health and neurological conditions.”
As for other advocacy around ibogaine treatment, Sinema earlier this year called on the Arizona legislature to pass a bill to fund clinical trials into ibogaine. At the same time, she pledged to personally raise $5 million in philanthropic donations to support research if the legislation is enacted.
The state’s legislature approved the bill last month.
Perry, meanwhile, said earlier this year that he’s already convinced by the scientific evidence—as well as conversations with experts and lawmakers—that ibogaine carries significant therapeutic potential to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), addiction, traumatic brain injury (TBI) and more.
Perry wasn’t always on board with psychedelics reform. The conservative former governor said that didn’t come until after he spoke with the twin brother of Rep. Morgan Luttrell (R-TX), Marcus, and subsequently the congressman himself—both of whom are veterans who personally benefitted from psychedelics therapy. After those discussions, Perry said he started researching the issue and eventually became an advocate himself.
In 2023, Perry also called on the federal government to move forward on psychedelics reform, saying the opportunity to improve the lives of people with PTSD and other ailments shouldn’t boil down to partisan politics.
He also joined leading psychedelics researchers and advocates for an event in 2021 focused on promoting research into the therapeutic potential of substances like psilocybin and MDMA for military veterans.
A number of states have also explored ibogaine reform, such as New York, where a bill was introduced earlier this year to legalize certain controlled substances—including as psilocybin and ibogaine—for adults 21 and older.
Currently, people in the U.S. seeking ibogaine treatment typically have to travel to a country where it’s legal.
In a study published last year that looked at military combat veterans with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) who traveled to Mexico for ibogaine treatment, researchers observed “dramatic” and “life-changing” improvements in participants’ symptoms and cognitive functioning immediately after receiving treatment with ibogaine.
The Stanford University team behind the study, which was published in the journal Nature Medicine, also observed minimal side effects related to the treatment.
As for state-level reform, Sinema told an Arizona House panel earlier this year that she hoped “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.”
“Eventually,” she aded, “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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Photo courtesy of Flickr/Scamperdale.
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