With Rick Perry’s backing and $50 million from the state, Texas set to become a leader in psychedelics research

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As Texas sets to crack down on the recreational use of cannabis, state leaders are opting to invest $50 million in another plant with purported medicinal benefits – a psychedelic called ibogaine.

For several years, people have silently traveled to clinics in Mexico to take ibogaine. The extract of an ancient African shrub has been used across the Texas border to alleviate addiction and brain trauma.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is set to sign Senate Bill 2308 on Wednesday, creating a consortium of universities, hospitals, and drug developers to conduct clinical trials on an ibogaine drug, with the hopes of receiving U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval. Lawmakers approved $50 million in taxpayer dollars to support this effort, making Texas the global leader in psychedelic research investment.

Since Texas is trying to be the first to develop the drug, the legislation ensures Texas retains control of the research and development process. The goal of this investment is to ensure Texans reap the economic benefits from an ibogaine treatment program, not a pharmaceutical company. The investment entitles Texas to at least 20% of any successful ibogaine drug resulting from the trials, with a quarter of that revenue allocated to a fund for state veterans.

After a failed attempt in Kentucky to start a state-funded ibogaine drug, Texas has picked up the effort under the leadership of a familiar statewide figure-turned psychedelics cheerleader — former Gov. Rick Perry.

“None of this is possible without Perry,” said Bryan Hubbard, the former chair of the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission and current executive director of the American Ibogaine Initiative. “He made it happen in Texas. That is a big deal and catches the attention of the nation.”

Ibogaine is an illegal drug that has found itself in a unique position where Republicans champion it. This comes as some of them, led by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, have made it a mission this session to ban recreational use of THC, which awaits Abbott’s approval.

Katharine Neill Harris, a drug policy fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, said it’s easy for Republicans to sign on to ibogaine because the intent of it is to medicinally treat addiction.

“Also, this bill doesn’t grant public access to ibogaine, and there’s nothing in the bill that could really be construed as soft on drugs,” she said.

For that reason seemingly, Patrick has publicly thrown his support toward ibogaine as he fends off critics from the left and right for his hardline views on THC. Patrick did not respond to a request for a comment for this story.

Harris said Texas' investment in ibogaine could kickstart a trend across states to invest in drug research to address addiction, as private funds have become inconsistent.

“In 2024, the FDA rejected a proposal to approve MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD. MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD is one of the more studied alternative psychedelic treatment protocols, and the FDA rejection was a huge blow to private industry, likely leading some to rethink investment in this area,” she said.

Miracle drug?

It was early 2022, and the only thing former Army Ranger Chase Rowan could think about was killing himself.

Sixteen years prior, his parachute failed to fully deploy during a nighttime training exercise as his body careened toward the ground at 60 miles per hour. To cope through the pain from the severe brain injury that resulted, the Keller resident turned to opioids which morphed into a fentanyl addiction that eventually dissolved his family.

“I was stuck alone. I had no money and no vehicle, just white knuckling sobriety,” Rowan said.

When Rowan got to Mexico to test out a novel drug called ibogaine in August of 2022, he wasn’t scared, but determined to heal.

Upon taking the ibogaine pill, Rowan started seeing images — one of a devil with wings and another of roads leading to childhood memories. The psychedelic journey on his first night opened his eyes to past trauma and the pain he caused to those around him, like a movie.

He woke up the next day feeling the happiest he had been in 20 years.

“It felt like a weight was lifted off of me,” he said. “I got that stuff out of me.”

What Rowan was dealing with is a particular high that comes from ibogaine that is often referred to as a “spiritual awakening” or a greater sense of self.

Stanford Medicine conducted a study in 2024 that found “ibogaine, when combined with magnesium to protect the heart, safely and effectively reduces PTSD, anxiety and depression and improves functioning in veterans with” traumatic brain injury.

Hubbard sees no threat of ibogaine becoming recreationally used or abused since it does not provide an enjoyable high and leaves the user in a state of temporary paralysis. Because of this, most never go back for another dose.

“There is no street economy for this drug,” Hubbard said.

Ibogaine also comes with potential dangers. Harris calls it one of the “more complicated psychedelics to administer” because it brings risks of cardiac issues and sudden death. The risks make it more expensive to study and to provide as a treatment, drawing out the years that ibogaine becomes more widely available, Harris said.

“If the FDA were to approve ibogaine for opioid use disorders or other disorders…the treatment could be quite costly,” Harris said.

 The Rick Perry effect

Since leaving his two-year stint as U.S. Energy Secretary during the first Trump administration, Perry has thrown the weight of his reputation behind psychedelics, becoming one of the most high-profile advocates of its research nationally.

But the journey to this point started when he still occupied the Governor’s Mansion in Austin.

“It’s the question I hear the most,” Perry said with a laugh. “What is a right-wing anti-drug governor doing associated with psychedelics?”

In 2006, Perry became close with Navy SEAL veteran Marcus Luttrell who struggled from a brain injury, PTSD and addiction, without access to effective treatments. He recalls Luttrell sleeping with the TV and lights on, trying to comfort his battered mind.

When Luttrell told him he was planning to go to Mexico with several other veterans to try ibogaine, Perry was skeptical.

“I remember the first time he told me, and I looked at him the same way a dog does when they hear a funny noise. I remember telling him to be careful with that because I still had my beliefs on drugs at the time, but at the same time, people that I trusted were going to Mexico for this, I had to listen,” Perry said.

The data was indisputable to Perry. He unequivocally believes ibogaine takes away addiction and he is ready to tell anyone who will ask him about it. He has since gone on to the Joe Rogan podcast to wax poetic about the drug and other psychedelic treatments. He is a scheduled speaker for a psychedelic conference in Denver. He is also planning to reach out to officials in Israel and Ukraine to initiate ibogaine treatment programs there.

“I have always been open to new knowledge. The same thing with criminal justice reform and in-state tuition, as a Republican, I have my beliefs, but I am willing to change them once looking at the data and science,” Perry said.

Hubbard cautioned that ibogaine is not a drug to be taken without medical supervision and Texas is probably at least six years away from seeing any movement on FDA approval for clinical trials.

However, he is hopeful that the drug qualifies for a Breakthrough Therapy designation, a pathway that accelerates the regulatory review of drugs showing early promise in treating severe conditions. As of June 30, 2024, the FDA has only granted 587 designations out of the 1,516 requested since 2012.

Hubbard believes the current presidential administration will see the momentum in Texas and help expedite the process with the FDA.

“If Texas can create a treatment plan for ibogaine, it might be the most significant achievement in modern medicine for nearly a century,” said Hubbard.

Disclosure: Rice University and Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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