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The state's House of Representatives has voted to create a grant program that would fund a public-private partnership to bring ibogaine through FDA-approved clinical trials for opioid use disorders and other neurological and mental health conditions for which ibogaine demonstrates efficacy. The measure, House Bill 3717, passed its final reading in the House on Tuesday with strong bipartisan support.
According to the CDC, nearly 727,000 people in the United States died from an opioid overdose between 1999 and 2022. Many people in the U.S. who have tried available treatments without success have gone abroad to treat their addictions with ibogaine in countries, like Mexico, where it is legal or unregulated.
State Rep. Cody Harris (R-Palestine), the bill's author, discussed the need to make effective treatments available in the U.S. and the potential of ibogaine to meet that need. Harris cited an observational study published last year and led by Stanford University in which a group of 30 Special Operations Veterans underwent ibogaine therapy in Mexico. The study found that participants experienced significant reductions in Traumatic Brain Injury associated disability, PTSD, depression and anxiety.
"This isn't a distant dream, it's happening now, just beyond our borders. And Texas can bring it home," Harris said.
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Ibogaine is a psychoactive compound derived from the iboga shrub, native to Central West Africa, where it has been used for centuries for healing traditions. Researchers are uncertain how ibogaine works on the brain to promote long-term effects. Many believe that it may be due to ibogaine's ability to promote new neural connections. Because ibogaine is associated with cardiac risks, a trained medical team must administer it.
Several U.S. combat veterans testified in support of the bill, including Dakota Meyer, a Marine Corps veteran and Congressional Medal of Honor recipient.
"I dealt with anxiety and depression that absolutely wrecked me," said Meyer, who had an alcohol addiction before undergoing ibogaine therapy. "Ibogaine is not a medication that hides or treats symptoms. It heals. It ends addiction. I've never had an anxiety attack since. The treatment saved my life."
Last month, the Senate passed a companion bill, Senate Bill 2308. If the Senate adopts the amended House version, the bill will head to Governor Greg Abbott's desk for his signature.
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