W. Bryan Hubbard: Lessons from Kentucky's Ibogaine Initiative

Feb 26, 2024

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Bryan Hubbard is a lawyer and the former chairman and executive director of the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission (KOAAC). Tasked with allocating an $842-million settlement from opioid manufacturers after the courts found that the products they sold contributed to thousands of deaths in the state, Bryan and other members of the commission were appointed by Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron in June 2022. In just 18 months, Bryan’s work put ibogaine in the spotlight. After learning about the psychedelic’s anti-addictive properties in the summer of 2022, he brought the idea of spending a portion of the settlement funds on ibogaine research to the AG, and in May 2023 they announced the commission’s intention to allocate $42 million to a public-private research partnership with a focus on ibogaine for substance use disorder. He was asked to step down from the role in December 2023.

What we discuss:

How Bryan’s previous work as a public attorney prepared him for the work he went on to do for the KOAAC
How he learned about ibogaine and his motivations for taking it the commission, even when it was clear there would be a lot of political pushback
How political opposition impacted the commission’s interest in ibogaine
Why the ibogaine initiative is no longer on the table in Kentucky
Responding to claims that the ibogaine initiative was a “misuse of funds” and “corporate R&D”
The effect that public hearings had on people who were either ambivalent or opposed to ibogaine research
The lack of efficacy of existing treatments
Reconciling one’s faith in God, the hope that psychedelics present, and what we’ve been programmed to believe about drugs (in the church and beyond)
Next steps for Bryan: interest from other states in ibogaine

Why it’s important:

In the short time that Bryan held the position of chairman and executive director of the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission, he was able to present ibogaine, a relatively obscure psychedelic substance, as a potential treatment for a crisis that has impacted the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans – and people paid attention. While in the end, it seems unlikely the commission will be moving forward with the proposal, Bryan’s championing of ibogaine was successful in creating a groundswell of support for an alternative treatment option in a part of the country not exactly known for being progressive. What’s more, as a result of Bryan’s work, many who had firmly placed themselves in the anti-ibogaine camp were so moved by what they heard at public hearings that they’re motivated to see the initiative through. Although Bryan has moved on from his role in Kentucky, other states have now expressed interest in picking up where he left off.

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