U.S. government approves multi-million dollar research grant for controversial psychedelic drug ibogaine

Federal officials announced up to $4.9 million in new funding on Thursday to prepare for the first United States studies of ibogaine, a controversial psychedelic drug. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated the money will not fund direct patient research yet, but will instead build the foundation needed to manufacture, dose, and design clinical trials for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Medical Potential

Ibogaine is derived from a West African shrub and is currently illegal in the United States, sharing the same ultra-restrictive legal classification as LSD and ecstasy. The drug can cause severe side effects, including intense hallucinations, nausea, vomiting, tremors, and dangerous irregular heart rhythms. Veterans groups and advocates argue the substance holds great promise for treating tough conditions like PTSD, severe depression, and opioid addiction. U.S. research on the drug has remained frozen for decades due to these strict legal limits.

Industry Partnership

To speed up the process, the government will use data and treatment guidance from Beond Inc., a Texas-based company that has already treated over 3,000 patients with ibogaine in Mexico, where it is legal. Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins joined Kennedy for the announcement, stressing that the project will put safety and top-tier research first. The move follows an executive order signed in April by President Donald Trump to fast-track mental health psychedelic reviews, with pending FDA decisions on psilocybin and MDMA expected soon.

Context

Psychedelic drugs are increasingly being studied by medical researchers around the world as potential new treatments for severe mental health conditions that do not respond well to standard medicines. Government-backed research initiatives typically require rigorous preclinical preparation and safety testing before any human trials can officially begin.