Why Silicon Valley is so attracted to this hallucinogenic substance

Recently, the Financial Times revealed that American entrepreneur Sergey Brin, one of the founders of Google and among the richest men in the world, has invested $15 million in medical-scientific research on a specific hallucinogenic substance. Called ibogaine, it is derived from the roots of a plant that grows in the rainforests of West Africa, and studies aim to determine if it can be safely used to treat certain types of addictions and neuropsychiatric traumas. The mental states induced by ibogaine are very intense – hence it is not suitable for recreational use: as read in the New York Times, people who have taken it describe the experience as «a waking dream», which in some way leads to reliving generally painful life experiences, but in a more detached and lucid manner.

Historically, the substance was used by West African tribes during shamanic rituals, but in the early 20th century, some doctors began experimenting with it to treat addictions to other substances. In the United States, it started to spread in the 1960s – it was then outlawed in 1967, and today at the federal level, it is equated with LSD or heroin. In other countries – such as Canada, France, or the Netherlands – it is still used, among other things, to help people overcome addiction. Most existing data on its real efficacy comes from small studies, but in countries like Brazil, where it has been used for decades on crack users, a 60% success rate is recorded. Although it is not yet clear how it improves cognitive functions (but research will aim to understand this), ibogaine seems so effective in treating addictions because it allows those who take it to access mental perspectives on the nature and factors underlying their behavior – while simultaneously reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression.

The fascination of Silicon Valley for hallucinogens

Sergey Brin has chosen to financially support a specific biotechnology company, Soneira, which is initiating clinical studies on ibogaine: the goal is to understand if it can be safely used on patients, and if a synthetic version of the substance can be developed, so as not to depend on its extraction in Africa – which is very complicated in several respects. But this is just one of the most recent investments by an American entrepreneur in the medical-scientific sector of hallucinogenic substances. For some time, in fact, Silicon Valley has had a certain attraction for psychedelics, partly stemming from the fascination with the “youth counterculture” of the 1960s. Even Elon Musk has never hidden his habitual or occasional use of some drugs: he had, for example, declared that he uses micro-doses of ketamine under medical prescription to keep depression at bay. Silicon Valley is so interested in hallucinogenic substances also because, in recent decades, cases of addiction and mental health-related illnesses have greatly increased in the United States – something that has had a strong impact on the country’s cultural fabric and has generated much public concern. For example, 20 percent of people who commit suicide are war veterans, who often suffer from post-traumatic stress disorders.

It is not surprising, therefore, that some very wealthy entrepreneurs are investing in research for solutions to problems that today seem extremely difficult to tackle. And recently, in Anglo-Saxon countries, the study of psychedelic substances seems to have given some hope in this direction. In Australia, for example, since last year, psychiatrists can prescribe psilocybin, a substance found in hallucinogenic mushrooms, in certain medical therapies. The use of psychedelic mushrooms for therapeutic purposes is also permitted, since November 2022, in Colorado. However, the fact that in most US states, many psychoactive substances are still considered illegal discourages investment by large pharmaceutical companies – so almost all clinical studies on their possible use are sponsored by individual entrepreneurs.