Psychoactive Drug Offers New Hope For Those Battling Trauma and Addiction

U.S. Marine Cpl. Dakota Meyer, a Medal of Honor recipient who once saved three dozen lives in Afghanistan, faced a personal battle in his 20s. Alcoholism, flashbacks, rage, and panic attacks derailed his life, damaging his marriage and his relationship with his daughters. In 2019, Meyer underwent a single treatment with ibogaine, a psychoactive drug derived from a Central African plant. He told The Dallas Morning News that his experience was transformative. 

“It’s like going through years of therapy in one sitting. It’s a hard reset,” Meyer testified in a recent committee hearing. Since the treatment, he reports no anxiety attacks and has rebuilt his life as a firefighter, author, entrepreneur, and engaged father. 

Ibogaine is increasingly seen by scientists and doctors as a promising treatment for trauma, depression, addiction, and brain injuries. It interacts with brain neurotransmitters tied to memory and learning and may “rewire” the brain by helping patients process trauma in a deep, dream-like state. Legal ibogaine treatments are currently available only in places like Canada and Mexico due to its classification as an illegal substance in the U.S. since 1970.

Meyer and other advocates are pushing for clinical trials in Texas, hoping to provide new healing avenues for traumatized veterans and addicts. The bill, Senate Bill 2308, authored by Sen. Tan Parker, R-Flower Mound, would be managed by Texas Health and Human Services and allow private donations. Supporters emphasize the urgency: 1 million Texans suffer from opioid abuse, over 7% of adults have PTSD, and up to 44 veterans die by suicide daily in the U.S. “Ibogaine could be their miracle,” said Rep. Cody Harris. “In a single dose, it can silence the screams of withdrawal… and mend the broken pieces of a mind ravaged by trauma.”

Stanford University recently studied 30 special forces veterans who traveled to Mexico for ibogaine therapy. The results were striking:

• 88% decrease in PTSD symptoms
  
• 87% decrease in depression
  
• 81% drop in anxiety
  
• Disability ratings fell from 30.2 to 5.1 on the World Health Organization’s disability rating scale, indicating no disability

The study even hinted that ibogaine might slow or reverse brain aging, raising potential for dementia research.

If the Senate approves the House’s changes, the bill will head to the governor’s desk, potentially marking a major step forward in bringing ibogaine-based treatments to the U.S.