"We've been dealing with the same clinical model over and over for decades. It ain't working, folks," Sen. Donald Douglas told colleagues in a committee hearing this week.
Douglas, a physician, said that the number of people in addiction treatment who return to using is simply too high and other avenues need to be considered.
In the next legislative session, Douglas plans to introduce a bill aimed at launching research in Kentucky on ibogaine — a substance that doctor Jean Loftus, a volunteer ambassador for Americans for Ibogaine, touted as dramatically more effective in decreasing or eliminating withdrawal and ongoing cravings.
"Our current treatments are woefully inadequate and unjustifiably expensive. Ibogaine is safe. It is natural. It's non-addictive. It is effective, and it is cost effective," she said.
While ibogaine is used in other countries, in the U.S. it's classified as a Schedule 1 drug and is not approved by the FDA.
Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday that it's not a treatment Kentucky should embrace before thorough study.
"A lot more research needs to be done on ibogaine. It can also cause some really significant reactions in a number of people," he cautioned. "You don't tread lightly into something that that that could be that powerful."
In this week's hearing, an Eastern Kentucky resident who traveled to Mexico for treatment using the drug testified to its effectiveness, recounting a harrowing initial experience on Ibogaine followed by relief she said saved her life.