A scene like this, unimaginable a decade ago, marks a paradigm shift: increasingly, it is conservative leaders who are embracing research into psychedelics. Buoyed by a countercultural drift, psychedelics now have more political clout than in any previous chapter of American history. Ibogaine has been used for decades in international clinics and underground circles to treat severe drug addiction; unlike psychedelics such as psilocybin, it has a reputation for mitigating acute opioid-withdrawal symptoms. Intrigued, Hubbard later flew to New York, where he grew convinced of the drug’s potential after meeting with leading ibogaine researchers, veteran advocates, and philanthropists. Displeased with Hubbard’s ibogaine advocacy, Coleman called him into a meeting where, according to Hubbard, he was “ambushed” and asked to resign.