Rick Perry Advocates for Psychedelic Drug Ibogaine

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry is advocating for ibogaine—a plant-based psychoactive drug—to be approved for medical use in the U.S., citing its potential to transform treatment for addiction and mental health disorders.

Speaking Wednesday at South by Southwest, Perry acknowledged the push has raised eyebrows. He told the audience a political consultant warned he was risking 40 years of his reputation over "this hippie [expletive]."

"This is what I want to do for the rest of my life," Perry said of his advocacy for the drug. "I don't know how many years the good Lord is going to give me, hopefully a lot. I can't tell you how much I believe in what these individuals are involved with, the work that they're willing to do and the reputational life that they give this."

Perry credited veteran and author Marcus Luttrell for introducing him to the drug's potential uses. Known as the "Lone Survivor" after chronicling his experience during Operation Red Wings in 2005, Luttrell lived with Perry at the governor's mansion for two years while recovering from depression and anxiety. According to the Dallas Morning News, as Luttrell adjusted to life after the military, he traveled to Mexico to undergo treatment using psychedelics—including ibogaine. He said the treatment changed his life and saved his marriage.

At SXSW, Luttrell spoke about his own struggle with opioid addiction, saying traditional sobriety programs helped him change behaviors but didn't eliminate physical cravings—something he said ibogaine did.

"It's almost like my body had no idea what it was like to be on alcohol or opioids. My mind did, but it didn't affect my body," Luttrell said on the panel. "That happened to me overnight, like I woke up without it. That is the power of the medicine."

Americans for Ibogaine CEO Bryan Hubbard and University of California professor Dr. Gul Dolen spoke alongside Perry and Luttrell to discuss efforts to change how the drug is classified under federal law.

Ibogaine is currently listed as a Schedule I drug, meaning it has no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.

Hubbard criticized that classification, calling it "Exhibit A in the multitude of fictitious legal realities that are designed in our legal system," and pointing to what he described as decades of failure in addressing addiction and mental health.

Throughout the session, panelists argued ibogaine could reshape how those conditions are treated.

Dolen described what she sees as a shift in how scientists understand mental health disorders. Instead of long-term treatment focused on chemical imbalances, she said psychedelics like ibogaine could offer lasting results after just a few doses.

"This is revolutionary," Dolen said.

Last June, Texas lawmakers approved a $50 million initiative aimed at making the state a hub for ibogaine research and development, with the goal of advancing the drug toward FDA approval.