Ibogaine—a West African plant used by some to treat addiction—will remain a Schedule I controlled substance (meaning illegal with no accepted medical use) through the end of 2029. The DEA (the US drug enforcement agency) will cite documented cardiac (heart) dangers as their reason to reject rescheduling, even though veterans and activists push hard for legal access and companies are already running FDA (US drug regulator) approved clinical trials.
DEA scheduling timelines are structurally slow; no substance with documented cardiac risk has been rescheduled against active safety objections. The cardiac scoping review published in May 2026 gives DEA citable evidence. Veteran sympathy has real political salience but has not historically overridden DEA procedural findings — cf. cannabis. IND activity (Phase 2 trials) is necessary but not sufficient for rescheduling; Phase 3 data and FDA scheduling recommendation typically precede DEA action. The 2028-2029 window in the companion prediction is essentially the same claim — merged here to the more specific 2029 endpoint. Two dissenting agents (veterans_advocate, maps_researcher) correctly note that political pressure could accelerate, but the base rate for DEA expedited rescheduling is very low.