President Trump 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. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and podcaster Joe Rogan joined Trump in the Oval Office for the signing.
Trump stated the order will “dramatically accelerate access to new medical research and treatments based on psychedelic drugs,” saying they have shown “life-changing potential.” The federal government will make a $50 million research investment into psychedelic research, and will open a pathway for ibogaine to be administered to “desperately ill patients” under the Food and Drug Administration’s Right To Try rule. “Everybody is so strongly in favor of this. It’s for a lot of people, but it’s for our veterans in particular,” Trump said, highlighting veteran suicide rates. “If these turn out to be as good as people are saying it’s going to have a tremendous impact on this country and in other countries too.”
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said three psychedelics would be added to the National Priority Voucher pilot program to dramatically reduce review times. The FDA will also begin allowing researchers to conduct human trials into ibogaine’s use. Ibogaine is a naturally occurring compound found in a shrub native to Africa and has been used to treat depression, anxiety, addiction, PTSD, and brain trauma. However, only one double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial has been completed. A 2023 review of 24 studies including 705 people showed that at least 27 people have died after taking ibogaine, with a review calling the risk of death from heart problems “worrying.”
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://us.headtopics.com/news/trump-signs-executive-order-to-research-psychedelics-82395526