President Trump Signs Order to Fund Research on Ibogaine for Opioid Addiction

President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the government to accelerate research into psychedelic treatments and allocated tens of millions of dollars in federal funding, USA Today reported. The order supports trials of an ibogaine-derived drug. Ibogaine is a psychoactive compound derived from a Central African shrub that has been used for decades to treat substance use disorders.

Joseph Barsuglia, a psychologist who has studied ibogaine for over a decade, said its most striking benefit is its ability to stop opioid withdrawal and eliminate cravings, often after a single session. Jonathan Dickinson, CEO of Ambio Life Sciences, which runs ibogaine clinics in Mexico and Malta, said the compound makes the opioid network in the body more sensitive and reduces tolerance in people with high opioid use.

The effects were first noted in 1962 when Howard Lotsof, then 19 and addicted to heroin, tried ibogaine and found his cravings had vanished.

Lotsof patented its use for addiction treatment in 1985. Ibogaine has been classified as a Schedule 1 drug in the United States since 1970, a designation for substances with no accepted medical use and high abuse potential. It remains illegal in the United States and much of Europe, leading many Americans to travel to Mexico for legal treatments.

Barsuglia said ibogaine affects the brain’s reward system by triggering release of a natural growth factor and modulating neural pathways tied to addiction. Dickinson added that it also facilitates repair of brain areas damaged by addiction, though the experience involves 18 to 36 hours of intense hallucinations.

Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Tennessee have passed legislation in recent years funding ibogaine trials.

USA Today reported that lack of financial incentive has slowed prior approval efforts.