(NewsNation) — Texas state government is helping to bankroll research into the mind-altering psychedelic known as ibogaine, and former three-term Gov. Rick Perry is getting credit for raising the profile of the illegal drug as a potential therapy for addiction and other brain disorders.

The socially conservative Republican, who was energy secretary during President Trump’s first term, recently told The New York Times about his experience getting ibogaine treatment in Mexico. The 75-year-old Perry said the therapy in 2023 triggered temporary sickness and hallucinations — complete with a perceived encounter with Satan — before he recovered feeling clear-headed and calm a day later.

Perry had long suffered from anxiety and insomnia that he suggests was tied to severe concussions he suffered

See Full Page