Texas committed $50 million to FDA ibogaine clinical trials in 2025 — the largest state investment in psychedelic research in US history.
The Texas ibogaine bill commits up to $50 million in state money to fund FDA clinical trials of ibogaine. Gov. Greg Abbott signed it on June 11, 2025. Backers call it the largest state investment in psychedelic research in US history.
The law is not a decriminalization measure. It does not let anyone in Texas use ibogaine legally. Instead, it pays for research aimed at one goal: getting an ibogaine medicine approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The trials target three hard problems: opioid use disorder, PTSD, and depression. Lawmakers leaned hard on the veterans angle. Texas has more veterans than any other state, and many face addiction or trauma.
This is the first big test of a state buying its way toward an FDA-approved psychedelic. Other states and the federal government are now watching Texas as a model. In April 2026, a federal executive order added matching money for state psychedelic research, which ties directly into this law. Read our explainer on the Trump psychedelics executive order for how the federal piece fits.
The enacted Texas ibogaine law is Senate Bill 2308 (SB 2308). It was authored by Sen. Tan Parker. Its House companion was House Bill 3717 (HB 3717), authored by Rep. Cody Harris. SB 2308 is the version Gov. Abbott signed.
You may see both numbers in news coverage, which causes confusion. Here is the simple rule. Two near-identical bills moved through the two chambers at once. The Senate version, SB 2308, crossed the finish line and became law.
SB 2308 passed during the 89th Texas Legislature. Its caption sets up a consortium to run FDA drug-development clinical trials with ibogaine for opioid use disorder and other conditions. The law took effect immediately on signing.
SB 2308 builds a public-private consortium, not a state-run clinic. The state puts up to $50 million on the table. That money is meant to be matched by private companies or federal funds, so the real research budget can grow larger.
The model links three kinds of partners: a Texas public university, a drug developer, and a hospital. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission provides the matching state funds for an FDA-authorized drug trial. The aim is a finished drug application, not just data.
The original law set tough conditions for a private partner. To get state money, a company had to do four things:
The Texas ibogaine bill does not legalize ibogaine. Ibogaine remains a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law. That means it is still illegal to use, possess, or prescribe outside an FDA-authorized trial.
So no Texas clinic can offer ibogaine to the public today. The only legal way to receive it in the US is inside an approved clinical trial. Many Americans still travel abroad — to Mexico or other countries — to access ibogaine in private clinics.
If you want to know where ibogaine and other psychedelics stand state by state, use our legal status by state tool. For the substance itself, see the full ibogaine guide.
Ibogaine's biggest safety problem is its effect on the heart. It can prolong the QT interval, a measure of the heart's electrical cycle. A long QT can trigger dangerous, sometimes fatal, irregular heartbeats.
This is the central scientific hurdle the Texas trials must clear. The drug blocks a heart channel called hERG, which is the cause of the QT effect. That is why ibogaine cannot simply be handed out — it needs heart monitoring.
Modern ibogaine trials screen patients before dosing. They check heart health, run continuous ECG, and watch for QT changes during the session. Some protocols also test how a patient's body breaks down the drug. These steps are exactly what an FDA program needs to prove safety. For how ibogaine stacks up against a safer, legal option, see ibogaine vs. ketamine.
Texas chose a drug-development path, while most states chose access programs. That makes its $50 million different in kind, not just in size. The table compares the two main models.
| Feature | Texas (SB 2308) | Colorado / Oregon model |
|---|---|---|
| Main goal | FDA approval of an ibogaine drug | Supervised legal access for adults |
| State spending | Up to $50M, with required match | Mostly self-funded by license fees |
| Who can use it | Only trial participants | Any adult at a licensed center |
| Substance focus | Ibogaine only | Psilocybin first; others can be added |
| Legal change | No decriminalization; still Schedule I | State decriminalization / regulated use |
| End result | A medicine doctors could prescribe nationwide | A state-only program with no FDA label |
When the Texas model fits better: if the goal is a prescribable, insurance-eligible medicine available across all 50 states. When the access model fits better: if the goal is legal, supervised use for adults sooner, inside one state. See Colorado Proposition 122 for the access-program side. Some other states have made smaller ibogaine research appropriations, but none approaches the scale or FDA-approval aim of Texas's $50 million commitment.
The bill drew strong veteran-led support. Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry championed it, calling the work the most important of his life. Ibogaine campaigner W. Bryan Hubbard pushed the policy. Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell testified in support at the Capitol.
The push framed ibogaine as a possible answer for veterans with opioid addiction, PTSD, and brain injury. That framing helped the bill pass with bipartisan support in a conservative state. Federal interest soon followed.
The plan hit a snag. By early 2026, Texas could not find a drug company willing to meet the law's strict matching and revenue-share terms. So state leaders announced Texas would run the trials itself, led by Texas university medical centers, rather than wait for a private partner. The $50 million and the FDA goal stayed in place.
No. Texas did not legalize ibogaine. Senate Bill 2308, signed in June 2025, funds FDA-authorized clinical trials of ibogaine. Ibogaine remains a Schedule I drug under federal law, so it stays illegal to use or prescribe outside an approved trial.
The enacted law is Senate Bill 2308 (SB 2308), authored by Sen. Tan Parker. Its House companion was House Bill 3717 (HB 3717), authored by Rep. Cody Harris. SB 2308 is the version Gov. Abbott signed into law on June 11, 2025.
Texas committed up to $50 million in state funds under SB 2308. The original law required private or federal money to match the state share, making the total potential investment larger. Backers call it the largest state psychedelic-research investment in US history.
Ibogaine carries a serious heart risk. It can prolong the QT interval and trigger dangerous arrhythmias. Most reported deaths happened in unmonitored settings. This cardiac safety profile is the main scientific hurdle the Texas trials must clear, so trial patients are screened and monitored with ECG.
Backers included veterans and their advocates, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, and ibogaine campaigner W. Bryan Hubbard. Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell testified in support. The bill passed with bipartisan backing in 2025 and was signed by Gov. Greg Abbott.
No, not as a public service. The only legal route in the US is inside an FDA-authorized clinical trial. Texas's trials aim to create that path. Until then, ibogaine cannot be offered to the public in Texas because it is still federally illegal.
The only legal US route is an FDA-authorized trial. Our tools help you search active studies and check where psychedelics stand in your state.
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