Trump Says Yes to Drug Effort Led By a Local
Fayette County’s most famous resident, former Texas Governor Rick Perry, scored a big victory over the weekend as President Donald Trump signed an executive order to accelerate research and improve access to psychedelic drugs as treatments for severe mental illness.
Perry serves as the chairman of Americans for Ibogaine, a non-profit group that has been pushing the U.S. to open up access for Ibogaine treatments. Ibogaine is a psychoactive alkaloid derived from the Tabernanthe iboga plant, which is used in traditional African medicine. The drug has become increasingly used by veterans suffering from PTSD and people addicted to opioids.
Perry became involved with the Ibogaine movement through his close personal relationship with Marcus Luttrell, a Navy SEAL Veteran and author of the book “Lone Survivor.”
“This is a historic moment for our Veterans and for this country,” Perry said in a statement issued April 18. “I have seen firsthand the impact ibogaine can have on our warfighters. For too long, they have been forced to leave the United States to access care. That should never have been the case. Today is a major step toward correcting that.”
“Ibogaine freed me from trauma and substance use in a way nothing else ever could, and it made me a better man,” said Luttrell, who serves as a board member of Americans for Ibogaine. “The signing of this Executive Order tells our Veterans they have not been forgotten and that real help is finally coming.”
At an Oval Office signing ceremony on Saturday, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke about how far more veterans have died by suicide than in combat. He said thousands of veterans have traveled to Mexico to receive Ibogaine treatments because the drug is illegal in the United States, even in medical settings. The executive order signed by President Trump on Saturday will remove legal impediments to research using psychedelic drugs, including Ibogaine, as treatments for PTSD and addiction.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that Ibogaine can bring major long-term relief to veterans suffering with PTSD after only one or two treatments, rather than a lifetime of taking the currently-available drugs. In addition, limited overseas research suggests that Ibogaine can cure opiate addiction with just one or two treatments.
Texas could become one of the leading states in Ibogaine research. Last summer, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 2308 into law. The bill grants state matching funds for research of Ibogaine as a treatment for neurological and mental health conditions.