TEXAS — The state of Texas has allocated $50 million to research ibogaine as a potential treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and trauma. The funding follows an executive order signed last month by President Donald Trump to fast-track the drug's approval.

Ibogaine is derived from the iboga plant found in central Africa and is not currently legal in the United States. Charles Graham Jr., a resident of Central Texas, served overseas for six years after being deployed to Afghanistan at age 20. He was diagnosed with PTSD upon his return.

"I wasn't right when I came back from there. I wasn't right. A lot of people wasn't. It was horrible," Graham said. He initially resisted the diagnosis. "My reaction to her saying I have (PTSD), I lost it. I got so mad. I started yelling. I was like, 'Don't you put that on there, I ain't got PTSD,' and, yeah, I did. I did," he said. After taking ibogaine in Mexico, Graham stated, "I feel at peace. Real peace. Not that pretend thing."

Houston Hutto of New Waverly also sought ibogaine treatment in Mexico. Hutto was involved in an accident on August 12, 2021, when his son, Holden, fell off a trailer and Hutto accidentally ran over him. Holden has since undergone eight surgeries. "They were playing on a trailer that was full of water, and I shouldn't have had (my son) doing that in the first place. Your job as a parent, I feel like, is to provide and protect your children, and I didn't do that. He accidentally fell off the trailer, and I ran over the top of him," Hutto said.

Ibogaine is unregulated in Mexico, where both men received treatment. The procedure can cost up to $15,000. Patients require monitoring during treatment because the substance lengthens the time between heartbeats, and induced hallucinations can last from 12 to 36 hours.

Katharine Harris, a drug policy fellow at Rice University's Baker Institute who studies ibogaine, noted the demanding nature of the treatment. "It is not for the faint of heart, and I think in some ways, there might be so much emphasis on it in a state like Texas because it's not fun. It's not really used in recreational settings, which I think gives an air of 'This isn't a play thing, this is for real,'" Harris said.