Rick Perry: I'm dedicating my life to fighting for a psychedelic drug
I’ve spent most of my adult life in public service — as governor of Texas, U.S. secretary of energy and a proud veteran. And few things have moved me like what I’ve witnessed with a psychedelic drug made from a shrub in Africa.
This month, Texas became the first state in the nation to allocate public funding for FDA-approved clinical trials of ibogaine, committing $50 million, the largest psychedelic research investment ever made by a government. It’s a bold, bipartisan move rooted in science and urgency. Ibogaine is a naturally occurring plant medicine derived from a shrub native to Gabon and surrounding countries in West Africa. It is quite literally a plant root, yet it’s changing the way we think about healing trauma, substance use disorder and brain injury.
Clinical data shows that ibogaine has the potential to interrupt substance dependence, reduce trauma symptoms and promote neurological repair. I first heard about the drug from Morgan Luttrell, a Navy SEAL and combat veteran who was elected to Congress in 2022. He learned about other SEALs traveling to Mexico to undergo an alternative treatment for trauma and addiction — something called ibogaine.
When he told me about it, I cautioned him. Like many people, I thought I knew what psychedelics were — that they were dangerous, something to stay far away from. I grew up during the Nixon era, when the message was clear: Drugs are bad, psychedelics will ruin your life, and the only responsible path is total avoidance. But I’ve come to realize how wrong that narrative was. That fear-based messaging kept us from exploring treatments that could have saved countless lives.
Original link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/06/27/rick-perry-psychedelic-drug-ibogaine/
Gift link: https://wapo.st/3V0h9eO
With Rick Perry’s backing and $50 million from the state, Texas set to become a leader in psychedelics research
https://www.texastribune.org/2025/06/11/texas-psychedelics-ibogaine-treatment-addiction-rick-perry-funding/
Oh well, governor ooops has found a new mission. I guess he's joining the likes of John Boehner, who became a cannabis lobbyist.
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