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EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*sb0527*
SENATE BILL 527
J1 6lr2797
CF 6lr1478
By: Senator Harris
Introduced and read first time: February 4, 2026
Assigned to: Finance
A BILL ENTITLED
AN ACT concerning 1
Public Health – Ibogaine Clinical Research Grant Program – Establishment 2
(Veterans Mental Health Innovations Act) 3
FOR the purpose of establishing the Ibogaine Clinical Research Grant Program to provide 4
grants to certain research institution s to conduct certain clinical drug development 5
trials on the use of ibogaine; including the Program as an authorized use of funding 6
from the Opioid Restitution Fund; and generally relating to the Ibogaine Clinical 7
Research Grant Program. 8
BY adding to 9
Article – Health – General 10
Section 13–5901 and 13 –5902 to be under the new subtitle “Subtitle 59. Ibogaine 11
Clinical Research Grant Program” 12
Annotated Code of Maryland 13
(2023 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 14
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 15
Article – State Finance and Procurement 16
Section 7–331(a) through (e) 17
Annotated Code of Maryland 18
(2021 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 19
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 20
Article – State Finance and Procurement 21
Section 7–331(f) 22
Annotated Code of Maryland 23
(2021 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 24
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 25
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 26
2 SENATE BILL 527
Article – Health – General 1
SUBTITLE 59. IBOGAINE CLINICAL RESEARCH GRANT PROGRAM. 2
13–5901. 3
(A) IN THIS SUBTITLE THE FOLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 4
INDICATED. 5
(B) “ELIGIBLE RESEARCH INSTITUTION” MEANS AN ENTITY: 6
(1) LOCATED IN THE STATE; 7
(2) WITH A HISTORY OF RES EARCH AND TREATMENT OF 8
NEUROLOGICAL DISEASE S AND EXPERTISE IN S UBSTANCE USE DISORDE R, 9
POST–TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER, OR TRAUMA; 10
(3) WITH A NEUROSURGERY P ROGRAM WITH CLINICAL RESEARCH 11
FACILITIES THAT ARE: 12
(I) STAFFED BY PROFESS IONALS WITH EXPERTIS E IN 13
NEUROLOGICAL AND NEUROSURGICAL CONDITIONS; AND 14
(II) CAPABLE OF PROVIDING THE NECESSARY 15
INFRASTRUCTURE AND E XPERTISE TO DELIVER CARDIAC INTENSIVE CA RE 16
SERVICES; AND 17
(4) ABLE TO FACILITATE PI ONEERING RESEARCH AN D INNOVATION 18
IN THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF NEUROLOGICAL CONDITIONS. 19
(C) (1) “IBOGAINE” MEANS THE NATURALLY OCCURRING PSYCHOACTIVE 20
COMPOUND FOUND IN THE ROOT BARK OF THE IBOGA PLANT. 21
(2) “IBOGAINE” INCLUDES IBOGAINE –BASED THERAPEUTICS A ND 22
IBOGAINE ANALOGS. 23
(D) “PROGRAM” MEANS THE IBOGAINE CLINICAL RESEARCH GRANT 24
PROGRAM. 25
13–5902. 26
(A) THERE IS AN IBOGAINE CLINICAL RESEARCH GRANT PROGRAM IN THE 27
DEPARTMENT. 28
SENATE BILL 527 3
(B) THE PURPOSE OF THE PROGRAM IS TO PROVIDE GRANTS TO ELIGIBLE 1
RESEARCH INSTITUTION S TO CONDUCT A CER TIFIED CLINICAL DRUG 2
DEVELOPMENT TRIAL OVERSEEN BY THE U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION 3
ON THE USE OF IBOGAI NE FOR THE TREATMENT OF OPIOID USE DISORD ER AND 4
OTHER NEUROLOGICAL CONDITIONS. 5
(C) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL: 6
(1) IN CONSULTATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AND 7
MILITARY FAMILIES, ADMINISTER THE PROGRAM; AND 8
(2) ADOPT REGULATIONS TO CARRY OUT THE PROGRAM. 9
(D) (1) THE DEPARTMENT MAY AWARD UP TO THREE GRANTS T O 10
ELIGIBLE RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS EACH YEAR. 11
(2) AN ELIGIBLE RESEARCH INSTITUTION SHALL PROVI DE 12
MATCHING FUNDS THAT ARE AT LEAST EQUAL TO THE GRANT AMOUNT AWARDED TO 13
THE ELIGIBLE RESEARCH INSTITUTION. 14
(E) (1) AN ELIGIBLE RESEARCH INSTITUTION MAY USE A GRANT 15
AWARDED UNDER THE PROGRAM ONLY TO CONDUCT A CERTIFIED CLINICAL DRUG 16
DEVELOPMENT TRIAL OVERSEEN BY THE U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION 17
ON THE USE OF IBOGAINE FOR THE TREATMENT OF: 18
(I) OPIOID USE DISORDER; AND 19
(II) ANY OTHER NEUROLOGICA L CONDITION FOR WHIC H 20
IBOGAINE DEMONSTRATES EFFICACY. 21
(2) AN ELIGIBLE RESEARCH INSTITUTION AWARDED A GRANT UNDER 22
THE PROGRAM SHALL SUBMIT TO THE DEPARTMENT QUARTERLY: 23
(I) A REPORT ON THE PROGRE SS OF THE CLINICAL D RUG 24
DEVELOPMENT TRIAL SUPPORTED BY THE GRANT; AND 25
(II) A FINANCIAL STATUS REP ORT, INCLUDING INFORMATION 26
TO VER IFY EXPENDITURES OF GRANT FUNDS AND PROO F OF MATCHING FUNDS 27
PROVIDED BY THE ELIGIBLE RESEARCH INSTITUTION. 28
(3) AN ELIGIBLE RESEARCH INSTITUTION AWARDED A GRANT UNDER 29
THE PROGRAM MAY SIGN AN A GREEMENT WITH A CONS ORTIUM ESTABLISHED B Y 30
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THE GOVERNMENT OF ANOTHER STATE FOR THE PURPOSE OF JOINING A CERTIFIED 1
CLINICAL DRUG DEVELO PMENT TRIAL OVERSEEN BY THE U.S. FOOD AND DRUG 2
ADMINISTRATION ON THE USE OF IBOGAINE FOR THE TREATMENT OF: 3
(I) OPIOID USE DISORDER; AND 4
(II) ANY OTHER NEUROLOGICA L CONDITION FOR WHIC H 5
IBOGAINE DEMONSTRATES EFFICACY. 6
(F) FOR EACH OF FISCAL YE ARS 2028 THROUGH 2030, THE GOVERNOR 7
SHALL INCLUDE IN THE ANNUAL BUDGET BILL A N APPROPRIATION OF $500,000 8
FROM THE OPIOID RESTITUTION FUND FOR THE PROGRAM. 9
(G) ON OR BEFORE SEPTEMBER 30 EACH YEAR, BEGINNING IN 2028, THE 10
DEPARTMENT SHALL REPORT TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, IN ACCORDANCE WITH 11
§ 2–1257 OF THE STATE GOVERNMENT ARTICLE, ON: 12
(1) (I) THE NUMBER OF GRANTS AWARDED; 13
(II) THE VALUE OF EACH GRANT AWARDED; AND 14
(III) THE ELIGIBLE RESEARCH INSTITUTION TO WHICH EACH 15
GRANT WAS AWARDED; 16
(2) THE PROGRESS OF THE C LINICAL DRUG DEVELOP MENT TRIALS 17
SUPPORTED BY A GRANT AWARDED UNDER THE PROGRAM; AND 18
(3) THE FINANCIAL STATUS OF THE CLINICAL DRUG DEVELOPMENT 19
TRIALS SUPPORTED BY A GRANT AWARDED UNDER THE PROGRAM. 20
Article – State Finance and Procurement 21
7–331. 22
(a) In this section, “Fund” means the Opioid Restitution Fund. 23
(b) There is an Opioid Restitution Fund. 24
(c) The purpose of the Fund is to r etain the amount of settlement revenues 25
deposited to the Fund in accordance with subsection (e)(1) of this section. 26
(d) (1) The Fund is a special, nonlapsing fund that is not subject to § 7–302 of 27
this subtitle. 28
SENATE BILL 527 5
(2) The State Treasurer shall hold the Fund separately, and the 1
Comptroller shall account for the Fund. 2
(e) The Fund consists of: 3
(1) all revenues received by the State from any source resulting, directly or 4
indirectly, from any judgment against, or settlement with, opioid manufacturers, o pioid 5
research associations, or any other person in the opioid industry relating to any claims 6
made or prosecuted by the State to recover damages for violations of State law; and 7
(2) the interest earnings of the Fund. 8
(f) The Fund may be used only to provide funds for the purposes specified in 9
settlement agreements and judgments relating to claims by the State against opioid 10
manufacturers, opioid research associations, or any other person in the opioid industry for 11
violations of State law, including: 12
(1) programs, services, supports, and resources for evidence –based 13
substance use disorder prevention, treatment, recovery, or harm reduction; 14
(2) supporting community –based nonprofit recovery organizations that 15
provide nonclinical substance use recovery support services in the State; 16
(3) addressing racial disparities in access to prevention, harm reduction, 17
treatment, and recovery support services; 18
(4) addressing socioeconomic disparities in access to prevention, harm 19
reduction, treatment, and recovery support services; 20
(5) evidence–informed substance use disorder prevention, treatment 21
recovery, or harm reduction pilot programs or demonstration studies that are not 22
evidence–based if the Opioid Restitution Fund Advisory Council, established und er § 23
7.5–902 of the Health – General Article: 24
(i) determines that emerging evidence supports the distribution of 25
money for the pilot program or that there is a reasonable basis for funding the 26
demonstration study with the expectation of creating an evidence–based program; and 27
(ii) approves the use of money for the pilot program or demonstration 28
study; 29
(6) evaluations of the effectiveness and outcomes reporting for substance 30
use disorder abatement infrastructure, programs, services, supports, and resources for 31
which money from the Fund was used, including evaluations of the impact on access to 32
harm reduction services or treatment for substance use disorders and the reduction in 33
drug–related mortality; 34
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(7) operating expenses and personnel costs for investigations, enforcement 1
actions, and other activities conducted by the Opioids Enforcement Unit within the Office 2
of the Attorney General that are related to the recovery of funds from opioid –related 3
judgments or settlements; [and] 4
(8) the Buprenorphine Training Grant Program established under § 5
13–5802 of the Health – General Article; AND 6
(9) THE IBOGAINE CLINICAL RESEARCH GRANT PROGRAM 7
ESTABLISHED UNDER § 13–5902 OF THE HEALTH – GENERAL ARTICLE. 8
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 9
October 1, 2026. It shall remain effective for a period of 5 years and, at the end of September 10
30, 2031, this Act, with no further action required by the General Assembly, shall be 11
abrogated and of no further force and effect. 12