Former Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I) joined forces with Representative Justin Wilmeth to sponsor House Bill HB2871, making a $5 million grant available to fund research for Ibogaine, a high-potential treatment for traumatic brain injuries and neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s. The bill, which passed on a split vote, added the grant funding to the FY 2026 compromise budget that Governor Hobbs just signed into law.

As written, the bill would have appropriated $10 million for the research; however, after the appropriations committee finished, the final product was a $5 million budget line item. Despite the promise and potential that Ibogaine has shown, especially in the treatment of traumatic brain injuries among veterans, the bill was not without critics.

CORRECTION: During a Globe exclusive conversation yesterday, July 2, 2025, Daniel Winkler, Senator Sinema’s Chief of Staff, corrected several facts surrounding the final version of the bill. Prior to passing, Senator John Kavanagh (R-3) added an amendment stripping the funding match requirement. That means that the $5 million final budget figure is fully available for Ibogaine treatment research and implementation. We also note that this key change renders some of the social media criticism, as noted below, erroneous.

One such critic, arguing that the funding should have gone to existing VA programs already in need, was particularly harsh. They claimed that due to the requirement for matching donations and the untested nature of the treatments, the bill “is classic bureaucratic theater: throwing cash at ‘innovative’ pet projects while real solutions get crumbs.”

Still, Wilmeth and Sinema are taking bows for getting the bill passed, especially in such a partisan political climate. But, in some ways, that was the point of the two working together. Sinema, who won her House and Senate seats as a Democrat, changed her party affiliation to Independent before opting out of the 2024 Senate election. It was a classic case of not fitting into the “cookie-cutter” definition of a Democrat. She has always been a strong advocate for American vets, a position that sometimes found her at odds with her party. But it was that desire to help vets that ultimately drove her to work with Wilmeth, a staunch Republican.

Wilmeth, a rising star within the republican party (he was named to the GOPAC Emerging Leaders Class in 2022), is an avid supporter of the military, especially those injured in the line of duty. After introducing the bill on the House floor, he posted to X:

“Yesterday, HB2871 was presented in the House Committee of the Whole. I’m extremely proud of this bill as I believe Ibogaine will revolutionize treatment of TBI and PTSD in our military veterans. It’s up for a vote in third read within the next hour.”

It’s unclear exactly how the bill’s funds will be allocated, particularly in light of the matching funds requirement. However, given the promising potential that Ibogaine has shown, the additional funding will likely be a slam dunk. The Arizona Globe will update as details emerge.