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Trump Signs Order to Accelerate Access to Psychedelic Drug Treatments
WASHINGTON, April 18 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Saturday intended to speed up access to medical research and treatment based on psychedelic drugs. The order instructs the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to expedite the review of drugs such as ibogaine, which U.S. military veteran groups have said can help treat post-traumatic stress disorder. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has championed the idea of using drugs such as ibogaine as an alternative treatment for mental health conditions such as depression.At an event in the Oval Office, U.S. federal officials said the reforms would pave the way for the drugs, which can cause hallucinations and are largely illegal, to be reclassified after successful clinical trials. Trump also said the U.S. would dedicate $50 million to federal research into ibogaine.U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary said decisions on the drugs could come as soon as this summer. MEXICO HAS IBOGAINE TREATMENT CENTERSIbogaine, derived from a shrub native to Africa, is a Schedule I substance in the United States, meaning it is deemed to have "no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse," according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. Globally, ibogaine is sometimes used to treat mental health conditions in nations where it is legal or faces fewer restrictions. Mexico has ibogaine treatment centers that often attract U.S. veterans.Flanked by U.S. military veterans such as Marcus Luttrell and Representative Morgan Luttrell, a Texas Republican, and with podcaster Joe Rogan standing directly behind him, Trump said ibogaine had come to his attention partly through the efforts of Rogan, who devoted an episode of his show to advocates for the drug's use in treating veterans.Officials on Saturday said there is now enough scientific evidence to justify the potential use of ibogaine as a mental health treatment."I've been hearing about it a little bit over the last year," Trump said. "I never heard anything about it in the past. It was almost like, taboo. It's not taboo anymore."Trump has often signed executive orders where legislation with a more durable legal impact has failed. In December, Trump signed an executive order backing research into marijuana and cannabidiol, also substances classified as illegal.The December order instructed the U.S. attorney general to move ahead with reclassifying marijuana, a decision that would represen...
Trump signs order to speed up review of psychedelic drugs for mental ...
President Donald Trump on Saturday directed his administration to speed up reviews of certain psychedelic drugs, including ibogaine, which recently has been embraced by combat veterans and conservative lawmakers despite having serious safety risks.Ibogaine and other psychedelics remain banned under the federal government's most restrictive category for illegal, high-risk drugs. But the administration is taking steps to ease restrictions and spur research on using the drugs for medical purposes, including conditions like severe depression."Today's order will ensure that people suffering from debilitating symptoms might finally have a chance to reclaim their lives and lead a happier life," Trump said as he signed an executive order on the drugs. The Republican president said his directive will help "dramatically accelerate" access to potential treatments. "If these turn out to be as good as people are saying, it's going to have a tremendous impact," he said.Veteran organizations and psychedelic advocates have long contended that the ibogaine, which is made from a shrub native to West Africa, has great promise for hard-to-treat conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder and opioid addiction.Trump's announcement follows pledges by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other administration officials to ease access to psychedelics for medical use, an issue that has won rare bipartisan support.Joining Trump in the Oval Office were his top health officials, conservative podcaster Joe Rogan and Marcus Luttrell, the former Navy SEAL whose memoir about a deadly mission in Afghanistan was the basis of the film "Lone Survivor." Rogan said he texted Trump information on ibogaine and the president responded: "Sounds great. Do you want FDA approval? Let's do it.""You're going to save a lot of lives through it," Luttrell told Trump during the ceremony. "It absolutely changed my life for the better."President Donald Trump holds up a signed executive order in the Oval Office of the White House, Saturday, April 18, 2026.Julia Demaree Nikhinson / APThe Food and Drug Administration next week will issue national priority vouchers for three psychedelics, which the agency's commissioner, Marty Makary, said will allow certain drugs to be approved quickly "if they are in line with our national priorities." The vouchers can cut review times from several months to a period of weeks. It is the first time the FDA has offered that fast-tracking to any psychedelics.The FDA is ...
Trump signs executive order to research psychedelics, including ...
President Trump has signed an executive order to ease research restrictions on psychedelics, including the drug ibogaine, which is used in some countries to treat post-traumatic stress disorder.
Trump signs order allowing psychedelic drug research
Podcaster Joe Rogan joined President Trump and others in the Oval Office on Saturday as he signed an executive order accelerating research for certain psychedelic drugs used to treat mental health …
