New Energy For Better Recovery Outcomes In The New Year

by John Giordano | Jul 14, 2020 | Addiction Recovery, Holistic Treatment

Okay, Let's Talk About What the States Are Actually Doing

If you've been watching The Root Cause Files, you've heard me say it more than once: ibogaine is coming back into the light. In Episode 2, I told you Texas had put up $50 million for research and that I believed Arizona and Colorado were looking at it too. And I said I hope to God it gets here.

Since then, my phone has been busy. The question I hear most is some version of this: "John, is it legal now? Can I go get it in Texas?"

Here's the straight answer. No. The states are funding research. They are not opening clinics. Ibogaine is still a Schedule I substance under federal law, and nothing a state legislature has passed changes that. Nobody can walk into a clinic in Texas, Arizona or Colorado today and get treated because of these laws.

So in this post I'm going to do what I always tell you to do: look it up, don't take my word for it. I'll walk you through what each state has really done, what is still unresolved, and why, after 39 years of treating people, I care a lot more about how this gets done than how fast.

Texas: $50 Million, and a Catch

Texas is the one everybody asks about, so let's start there. In 2025 the state passed SB 2308, which set aside $50 million for ibogaine clinical research. In December 2025, the state announced that UTMB Health, working with UTHealth Houston, would lead the clinical trials. That's the part I told you about in Episode 2.

Here's the part I didn't know yet. The law requires the state's money to be matched by a drug company. According to reporting from the Texas Tribune in March 2026, the state health commission found no qualifying drug-company proposal. Texas has said it intends to move forward anyway. More recently, The Center Square reported that Texas can't spend the $50 million yet, and that a federal program through ARPA-H, with up to $139.4 million available and at least $50 million set aside for state matches, may help fill the gap.

Now, I want to be honest with you about what I don't know. As of October 12, 2026, I could not confirm that a Texas trial has started enrolling a single patient. Funding announced is not the same as people being treated. When you hear someone say "Texas is doing ibogaine," ask them one question: where, and who's enrolled?

Arizona, Colorado, Kentucky and Beyond

In Episode 2 I said, "Arizona and Colorado, I believe, are looking at it also." I said I believe because I wanted to check it. So I checked. Here's what I found.

Arizona. HB 2871 put $5 million toward ibogaine research, with a requirement for a matching $5 million. Same theme as Texas: the state puts in money, and someone else has to put in money too.

Colorado. HB 26-1325 was signed in June 2026. It sets up a research pilot through the state's Behavioral Health Administration, with up to five sites. The state funding is small, $150,000 a year, plus whatever gifts and grants come in, and the program depends on that funding showing up. It also has a requirement for sharing benefits with Indigenous communities, which I think is right. This medicine came from the Bwiti tradition in West Africa. It didn't start in a laboratory.

Kentucky. SB 77 became law in April 2026 after the legislature overrode a veto. Per a policy tracker I reviewed, Kentucky is one of several states, along with Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Tennessee, that have passed trial-related laws, and more than a dozen states considered bills this year.

Notice the pattern. Every one of these bills funds research. None of them creates a way for the public to walk in and get treated. That's not a criticism. That's how it should start. But it means anyone telling you ibogaine is "now legal in Colorado" or "Texas is open" is selling you something.

Why It's Still Research

A lot of people get frustrated with this part. I understand. If you or someone you love has been through detox after detox, "we need more studies" sounds like "keep suffering."

But look at what the research still has to answer. According to the reporting I read, the FDA has said the dose question, meaning a dose high enough to help but low enough to avoid serious harm, remains unresolved. That is not a small question. It's the question. The same compound that people describe as life-changing can affect the electrical rhythm of the heart. We'll get to that in a minute.

There's another reason the research matters, and it's one I've been saying for years: whoever has the gold makes the rules. Right now, ibogaine can't be patented the way a new drug can, and the funding that exists is public money and grants. That's why these state programs matter, because they pay for the studies that nobody else has a reason to pay for. I hope to God they get done, and done right.

And while the research catches up, people are still going to Mexico, Costa Rica and other countries. Some of those places are excellent. Some are not. Which brings me to the part I care most about.

The Heart: What Safe Actually Looks Like

Okay. Here's what I said in Episode 5, and I'm going to say it again because it matters: it's not a high thing. You don't want to spend 8 to 12 hours in hell, and you definitely don't want to do it without a medical team.

The science backs up why. Ibogaine blocks a potassium channel in the heart called hERG. When that happens, it can stretch out the heart's QT interval, and in some people that leads to a dangerous rhythm called torsades de pointes. A 2026 review of ibogaine's cardiac safety and an earlier paper titled "How toxic is ibogaine?" both go through this. People have died. Nobody has a clean count, and I'm not going to quote you a number I can't back up, because a lot of what's written online comes from clinics and advocates. But the pattern in the literature is consistent: the risk is real, and it's mostly about the heart.

That's why, when we ran our program, we did it this way:

A 24-hour heart monitor, not just an EKG, before anyone came to us.
Blood work on the major organs: kidneys, liver, heart. We wanted to know what was on board and whether someone was volume depleted or protein deficient.
Titrating people off SSRIs, Suboxone, fentanyl and other medications before treatment. That can take days. Some of those combinations are dangerous with ibogaine.
A hospital bed, an IV in the arm and a heart monitor during the whole journey, in case of any event.
A test dose first, then a 45-minute wait to see how the person tolerated it, then the full dose, along with magnesium, which is good for the heart.

If a place you're considering can't tell you how they do every one of those things, walk away. Not "we'll get to it." Walk away. Don't believe me? Ask your own cardiologist. Look it up.

The Journey Is Not the Treatment

Here's something the state bills don't talk about, and neither do most of the headlines. Dr. Deborah Mash and I have been working together since 1996, and one thing she figured out early is that getting someone through the journey is not the same as treating them. Just because you got detoxed doesn't mean you're treated. All the behaviors are still there.

For me, the journey is the opening for therapy. After it, my job is to help people make sense of what they saw and bring it into the present. Then they have to go do the work: therapy, treatment, self-help groups, exercise, eating right, a different lifestyle than the one that got them sick. Some people come out thinking they're well. They're not well. They have to undevelop the old behaviors and build new ones.

And then there's the other 22 hours. You might see a therapist for an hour and go to a meeting for another hour. What about the rest of the day? That's why we built Wingman for Recovery, an aftercare platform that gives people a wellness plan, an exercise plan and goal setting, with support that's non-judgmental and available when the meeting is over.

If the research programs get this right, I hope they build in this part. A trial that treats the journey as the whole treatment is going to miss it.

So What Do You Do Right Now?

If you're thinking about ibogaine, here's where I'd start:

Talk to your own doctor first, and get a real cardiac workup. Not an afterthought. The first step.
Ask any program for specifics. What monitoring do they use during treatment? Who's the medical staff? What happens in an emergency? What's the plan for the weeks after?
Be honest about everything you take. Medications, supplements, whatever's in your system. Hiding things is how people get hurt.
Plan for the 22 hours. Line up therapy, support and a real aftercare plan before you go, not after.
Watch the state research. I'm cheering for it. But don't let anyone sell you a shortcut while it plays out.

If you want to talk through where you are, I built two programs, including the Executive Recovery Program. Insurance companies generally don't cover this work, so I'll be upfront about that. You can call me at (786) 271-5732, visit johnjgiordano.com, or book a time to talk. I want to help you.

This post is educational and not medical advice. Ibogaine is a Schedule I substance in the United States and carries serious risks, including potentially fatal heart rhythm problems. Talk with a qualified physician before considering any treatment. If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 right now.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ibogaine legal in the United States?

No. Ibogaine is a Schedule I substance under federal law. State laws that fund research don't change that.

Is ibogaine legal in Texas, Arizona or Colorado now?

No. These states have passed laws to fund ibogaine research, not to open treatment to the public. Look up the bill text yourself. Every one of them is about studies.

What is the Texas ibogaine research program?

SB 2308 set aside $50 million for clinical research, and UTMB Health and UTHealth Houston were chosen to lead the trials. The law requires a drug-company match, and as of October 2026 I could not confirm that any trial has started enrolling participants.

Is ibogaine safe for your heart?

Not automatically. Ibogaine can prolong the heart's QT interval and trigger a dangerous rhythm, and deaths have been reported. That's why a cardiac workup beforehand and continuous heart monitoring during treatment matter so much.

What should a safe ibogaine program include?

A 24-hour heart monitor and blood work before treatment, a safe taper off interacting medications, a hospital bed with an IV and heart monitoring during the journey, a test dose before the full dose, magnesium, and a real aftercare plan. If a program can't explain each one, walk away.

Does insurance cover ibogaine treatment?

Generally, no. Insurance companies don't cover it, so ask any program about total costs up front.

What happens after ibogaine treatment?

The journey is the opening for therapy, not the treatment itself. The old behaviors are still there, so you need therapy, support groups, healthy lifestyle changes and aftercare for the other 22 hours of the day.