Former Texas Governor Rick Perry has become a prominent advocate for ibogaine, a psychedelic shrub native to the Congo Basin rainforest in Central Africa known for its powerful waking dreams. The shrub is also the heart of Bwiti, a centuries-old spiritual discipline practiced in Gabon. The former governor of Texas, Perry, and Bryan Hubbard, a lobbying group called Americans for Ibogaine. The group is behind a conference hosted by Aspen, Colorado, to build on their recent success in Texas, where they have invested $50 million in taxpayer money towards studying ibogain in hopes of developing a new drug that can curb opioid addiction. So far, more than a dozen states have passed legislation to study ibogane, including Arizona where former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, has emerged as a leading champion for the drug, although her advocacy has faced scrutiny. In December, the American Legislative Exchange board recommended a bill by the conservative think tank on the first time the bill was ever recommended.