The World Is Moving. Is Israel?
In December 2025, the state of Texas awarded $50 million to UTHealth Houston and UTMB Health to launch the IMPACT program — the largest state-level investment in ibogaine research in history. Their goal: to evaluate ibogaine for PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and addiction in a rigorous, multicenter clinical trial involving Texas A&M, UT Austin, Baylor College of Medicine, and others.
In the United States, congressional advocates are pushing federal legislation to expand access to ibogaine therapy for veterans. In Mexico, clinics like Ambio Life Sciences provide ibogaine under medical supervision to hundreds of patients annually, including many American special operations veterans. In nature, ibogaine's story is being written — and it is increasingly a story of healing.
Meanwhile, in Israel — a country with more urgent need than perhaps any other — ibogaine remains largely inaccessible, unstudied at a national level, and unrecognized by the Health Ministry as a legitimate therapeutic option.
Israel's Advantages
Israel is, in many ways, the ideal country to lead on ibogaine. Consider:
- World-class medical infrastructure — Israel consistently ranks among the world's top healthcare systems. Sheba Medical Center, Hadassah, and Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center are globally recognized research hospitals.
- A track record of pioneering drug policy — Israel created one of the world's first national medical cannabis programs. Boaz Wachtel, our founder, was instrumental in building it. The regulatory muscle memory exists.
- Urgent, documented need — No country has a more pressing case for rapid access to novel PTSD therapies than Israel right now. The evidence base is already compelling. The clinical rationale writes itself.
- A homegrown pioneer — Boaz Wachtel has been treating patients with ibogaine since 1989 and co-authored the international treatment manual. Israel already has world-leading expertise.
What We Are Asking For
The Ibogaine Foundation of Israel is advocating for a clear, achievable regulatory path:
- Expanded Access / Compassionate Use Program — Allow monitored access to ibogaine therapy for veterans with treatment-resistant PTSD and TBI under Israel's existing expanded access regulations, while formal clinical trials are being developed.
- Government-funded Phase II clinical trial — Partner with Sheba Medical Center or Hadassah to run a rigorous, safety-first clinical trial of magnesium-ibogaine therapy for IDF veterans, aligned with Stanford's methodology.
- International research collaboration — Sign MOUs with Stanford, UTHealth Houston, and other leading ibogaine research institutions to share data, align protocols, and ensure Israel benefits from global research advances.
- Public education and destigmatization — Launch a national conversation about psychedelic-assisted therapies that goes beyond sensationalism to evidence, safety, and compassion.
The Cost of Inaction
Every day that passes without ibogaine access in Israel is a day that soldiers with treatment-resistant PTSD continue to suffer. It is a day closer to the 180% projected increase in PTSD cases by 2028. It is another entry in the statistics of the 21 soldier suicides recorded in 2024.
The evidence is clear. The need is overwhelming. The tools are available. What remains is the will to act. The Ibogaine Foundation of Israel exists to build that will — through advocacy, education, research, and an unwavering commitment to the people who have given everything for their country and deserve the best medicine the world has to offer.