Texas to spend millions on psychedelic research
Texas plans to spend $50 million on research examining the effects of a psychedelic drug called Ibogaine on behavioral health conditions.
Why it matters: Ibogaine remains illegal in the U.S., but its advocates hope Texas' research will push it toward FDA approval, saying it can help veterans with PTSD and other mental illnesses.
The effort is the largest state-funded psychedelic research initiative, per the Texas Ibogaine Initiative.
How it works: Ibogaine is a psychoactive compound found in a plant native to parts of Africa. The compound's effects depend on its potency.
Researchers have found that various forms of Ibogaine can help veterans with traumatic brain injuries and people experiencing addiction or depression.
State of play: The U.S. outlawed Ibogaine and other psychotropic drugs, including LSD and mushrooms, in 1967.
Some U.S. veterans have sought psychedelic therapy abroad.
The intrigue: Former Gov. Rick Perry and his wife learned about psychedelics as medicine while caring for a Navy SEAL veteran who was severely injured while serving in Afghanistan, per the Texas Standard.
Ibogaine therapy in Mexico helped the veteran recover from opioid addiction. Perry now advocates the therapy for veterans.
Reality check: Ibogaine must go through FDA-approved clinical trials before it can be used for treatment.
It has been associated with cardiac arrest and seizures.
What they're doing: Texas plans to pay for its Ibogaine research through a public-private partnership involving a state university, drug company and hospital.
"This is about restoration. It's about the opportunity to restore the lives of so many veterans that have put their lives on the line for us … and have suffered as a result," state Sen. Tan Parker, a Flower Mound Republican who authored the research bill, said after Gov. Greg Abbott signed the legislation.
Worthy of your time: This Texas Standard series examining psychedelics and the "Texas Trip."
https://www.axios.com/local/dallas/2025/06/26/texas-ibogaine-psychedelic-veterans-ptsd