LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Texas leaders are continuing to push for research into ibogaine, a naturally occurring psychedelic compound that early studies suggest could help veterans suffering from PTSD, addiction, and other mental illness — a move aligned with an executive order signed by President Trump in April.
Ibogaine is derived from the root bark of a shrub native to central Africa. It remains a Schedule I substance in the United States, meaning the federal government classifies it as having no therapeutic use and a high risk of addiction.
Matthew Buckley, a Top Gun graduate who flew the supersonic F/A-18 Hornet for the Navy for 15 years — including combat deployments over Iraq and Afghanistan — said the compound changed his life. He struggled with childhood trauma and the trauma of military service, turning to alcohol as he watched four fellow F/A-18 pilots die by suicide, including his best friend.
“So in around 2020, my most recent F-18 brother killed himself,” Buckley said. “So I’ve lost four F-18 buddies to suicide, including my best friend. He is a groomsman in my wedding, married, beautiful bride and five kids and took his own life.”
That loss led Buckley to seek help — and to help others. A fellow veteran told him that Navy SEALs and Special Forces veterans were having success with psychedelic-assisted therapy in Mexico. Buckley said he agreed to go, with little knowledge of what to expect.
“I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into,” Buckley said. “And it was — I’ve done some challenging things in my life — it was one of the most challenging things I’ve ever experienced. It wasn’t fun. It wasn’t recreational, but I got 40 years of therapy in 14 hours.”
Buckley said the experience, which lasted 14 to 16 hours, was conducted in a controlled medical setting. Participants were connected to IVs and EKGs and monitored by nurses throughout the night, with a cardiologist on-site due to ibogaine’s potential effects on heart rhythm.
He said the treatment eliminated his dependence on alcohol to the point that, for up to a year afterward, the smell of alcohol would make him physically ill.
“I wasn’t the best dad. I wasn’t a good husband. I was a drunk,” Buckley said. “That guy died. He literally died on a mattress in Mexico. And I’ve never been a better husband, father or human being.”
After returning home, Buckley founded the No Fallen Heroes Foundation, which has provided grants to more than 300 veterans, first responders, and their families to access ibogaine treatment. He said the foundation has recorded no suicides and no adverse events among those it has served.
“One suicide is a hand grenade,” Buckley said. “It’s a generational hand grenade. It just blows up. It blows down and it blows — it’s a horror. So even just saving one life is breaking generational trauma.”
Buckley was present in the Oval Office in April when President Trump signed an executive order directing his administration to speed up reviews of ibogaine and clear the way for human trials.
The state of Texas is also pushing for research and trials for ibogaine. Marcus Luttrell, the Navy SEAL who inspired the film “Lone Survivor,” underwent ibogaine treatment alongside Buckley, and testified about a similar experience.
“When I got hurt I got introduced to opioids. Turns out I have a ferocious appetite for that,” Luttrell said. “I also drank to mask my pain as well. But when I took that medication I laid down and woke up the next morning and had no appetite for opioids, no appetite for alcohol, I chewed Copenhagen, I had no appetite for that at all.”
The Texas Legislature passed a bill paving the way for ibogaine research and invested $50 million.
While no pharmaceutical companies have yet submitted proposals meeting state requirements, House Speaker Dustin Burrows and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick sent a letter to research institutions asking them to continue their work and promising reimbursement for costs incurred.
In part, the letter read, “it is our understanding that [the research institutions] will spend their own funds to begin Phase 1 of the clinical trials; and, if the trials warrant, additional monies for further development through Phases 2-3. Please know that we are committed to reimbursing UTHealth Houston and UTMB for whatever monies they have spent pursuing this through the supplemental budget…”
Buckley said the current federal classification of ibogaine as a Schedule I drug is a barrier to progress, noting that the executive order did not reschedule the substance — it only directed further review.
He said veteran suicide numbers, which he cited at an estimated 22 to 44 per day depending on the methodology used, reflect a system – current VA programs, for example – that is not working.
“I can’t stress enough that this should be a national emergency, national priority,” Buckley said. “So I’m thankful for the president and what this administration is doing. It’s just not — it’ll never be fast enough for me.”
Buckley said based on his experience, he could not envision anyone choosing to use ibogaine recreationally. Should the federal government move to reclassify the substance, there is no indication it would become available for recreational use.
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