Lawmakers in two GOP-controlled state legislatures hosted discussions on the potential of the psychedelic ibogaine to treat addiction and other mental health conditions this week.
In Mississippi, the House Public Health and Human Services and Senate Public Health and Welfare held a three-hour joint hearing at which lawmakers heard from military veterans, scientific researchers and advocates on ibogaine’s therapeutic promise.
In Kentucky, the legislature’s Interim Joint Committee Health Services examined ibogaine as a potential way to treat opioid dependency as part of a broader hearing that also touched on other topics.
Rep. Sam Creekmore (R), who chairs the Mississippi House panel that cohosted the hearing in his state, said that “entire communities, have been scarred, families shattered, and too many lives cut short” by the opioid epidemic.
“On top of that, we face a growing mental health crisis that weighs heavily on our veterans, first responders and trauma survivors. We know the truth that current treatments, while essential, are not enough for everyone,” he said at the Thursday hearing. “Our responsibility as policymakers is not to embrace new solutions blindly, but neither can we turn our away from credible science, or from testimony from those who found hope where hope
Read full article on Marijuana Moment
