Overview
- The White House, according to reports Thursday and Friday, is drafting an executive order to encourage federal research on ibogaine and sources say President Trump could sign it within days.
- The expected action is meant to open federal funding and support for studies focused on PTSD and traumatic brain injury, with an emphasis on care for veterans.
- Officials do not plan to reclassify ibogaine, which remains a Schedule I drug with no FDA‑approved medical use in the United States.
- Evidence remains limited and safety is a concern, with only one completed randomized trial and a 2023 review linking ibogaine to dangerous heart rhythm problems and at least 27 deaths, even as a small veteran study pairing it with IV magnesium reported symptom drops without serious cardiac events.
- Because the drug is illegal in the U.S., many Americans seek treatment at clinics in Mexico and the Caribbean, while Texas has committed $50 million to research and companies such as Psyence BioMed have publicly welcomed the federal push.