Arizona Allocates $10 Million for Ibogaine Research

Before Texas’ monumental $50 million investment in ibogaine research in May, Arizona more quietly allotted $5 million in state funds, with a promise of an additional $5 million in matching private funds, to pay for a clinical research study of ibogaine. The funding will be a part of the 2026 fiscal year state budget. 

The psychoactive compound, derived from the African plant iboga, shows promise for PTSD, depression, and traumatic brain injury in particular. As with other ibogaine initiatives, veteran support played a critical role in its passage. 

The bill, sponsored by Republican representative Justin Wilmeth, specifically appropriates the funds from the state general fund in fiscal year 2025-26 to “conduct a certified clinical research study on the use of ibogaine for the treatment of neurological disorders, including traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.” 

Awardees must have a history of proven research and treatment of neurological diseases, as well as a neurosurgery program that meets certain criteria, including the ability to facilitate “pioneering research and innovation in diagnosis and treatment of neurological conditions.”  

High-Profile Support

Former Arizona senator Kyrsten Sinema notably and vocally backed the bill, working with Wilmeth on strategy and leveraging her connections to bring veterans who told their stories during the committee process. Sinema has represented herself as an interested private citizen rather than a lobbyist. 

Wilmeth describes his knowledge of ibogaine as limited before speaking with Sinema, and said that his conversations with her were a dive into the deep end. 

“She invited me for lunch, and told me all about this initiative,” he said. “I asked her, ‘That’s all great, but why me?’ And she said, ‘Because I’ve watched you, and you win.’ She believed in me, and she also believed in this mission.” 

Sinema, speaking at the 2025 Psychedelic Science conference in June, relayed her account of the meeting: “I approached a young guy [Wilmeth] who is a member of the State House of Representatives in January, and i said, ‘You don’t know what ibogaine is, but in 15 minutes you’re gonna know it and you’re gonna want to introduce this bill. And sure enough here we are, just a few short months later.

“It’s that investment in relationships and teaching people about the power of the medicine and how it changes people’s lives, particularly veterans’ lives,” she continued. “In our case in Arizona, that’s how we’ve been able to get the bipartisan support.”

A “Slam Dunk”

Wilmeth was fueled by his own frustration with treatment for mental health disorders, particularly for veterans. “There’s a lot of stuff out there about plants that we don’t know,” he said. “So I did my own research. The way we treat depression and PTSD now, for example – they’re only like putting bandaids over a scab that’s not healing. And that’s not a solution.” 

While ibogaine remains a Schedule 1 drug at the federal level, working on a bill that would push clinical research and help veterans felt like “a slam dunk,” Wilmeth said. “This really impacts people in a meaningful way. It’s a fantastic solution to a gigantic problem affecting generations of soldiers. $5 million was a small amount to ask for, in my opinion, especially given the benefit of how it can help prevent suicide.” Wilmeth sponsored a previous bill specifically focusing on improving reporting for veteran suicides.

While the initial ask was for $10 million, the legislature settled on $5 million. “You never get all you ask for in legislative appropriation,” Wilmeth said. The additional $5 million will be matched through fundraising with Sinema’s help. “She is confident and headstrong in the best way, and she’s laser focused on this,” he added.

An appropriation measure, the bill was introduced in March and went through an initial voting process in the Arizona House of Representatives. It passed out of the House after the third read, then passed the Senate unanimously. Because appropriations bills do not go through a process that requires the governor’s signature, the bill was then placed to the side to await budget discussions. The funds are now officially built into the 2026 fiscal year budget. “And this study will be the beginning of making this potentially life-altering treatment available in America,” said Wilmeth. 

Wilmeth, who is not a veteran himself, was moved by the experiences of close relatives who served, as well as the testimony from veterans to the committee. “I was almost on the brink of tears,” he said. “These men took a chance to get this treatment that’s illegal in the States, that may not work – but might finally stop them from thinking about suicide – and came back basically healed.” 

He hopes that state support for ibogaine could parallel other major social shifts funded by the government such as the interstate road system and the internet. “These are now bastions of private sector economies,” he said. “We’ll start with veterans and service members and expand into the public realm. I can see in 20 years that psychologists might prescribe this for people. It starts here.”

A Sense of Urgency 

While the Arizona ibogaine bill was catapulted to passage through the stories of former service members, veterans are just the “leading tip of the spear” for supporters, said Wilmeth. He hopes that research will “drill down to domestic violence victims, childhood victims of abuse” and others in need of healing after trauma.

Wilmeth says he is not daunted by the FDA’s decision to deny approval for MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD. “It didn’t stop me at all,” he said. “I’m an old-school conservative, and I believe that states are incubators of innovation. The feds don’t have all the answers. Sometimes we need to force things upward. When we get this going and other states get on board, the feds will have to change the schedule on these drugs. We’re going to keep pushing this in Arizona and other states until the feds go, ‘This is something we do need to address and look at changing.’”

A sense of urgency drives Wilmeth and many other supporters of ibogaine. Suicide rates for veterans has increased, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, with a significantly higher rate in Arizona. “This is the way,” he said. “We have to get behind this and legitimize it as quickly as possible because our soldiers are coming back from fighting for us and hurting, and they need our help. It’s as close to a silver bullet solution as we can find to help our best and bravest. The fact that I’ve been able to do this is something I’ll look back on and say ‘I played a part in this becoming a standard form of treatment for those who have been through hell.’ I’m proud to be a part of it.”