President Donald Trump signed an executive order intended to accelerate access to medical research and treatment based on psychedelic drugs, with a focus on ibogaine as a potential treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder in military veterans.
The order directs the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to expedite the review of drugs such as ibogaine. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has championed these substances as alternative treatments for mental health conditions including depression. Federal officials said the reforms would enable the drugs to be reclassified after successful clinical trials. Ibogaine, derived from a shrub native to Africa, currently holds Schedule I status in the United States, classified as having “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse” according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Trump pledged $50 million in federal funding for research into ibogaine. U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary indicated that decisions on the drugs could come as soon as the summer. The signing ceremony included military veterans such as Marcus Luttrell and Representative Morgan Luttrell of Texas, along with podcaster Joe Rogan. Trump noted that awareness of the drug “came 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.”
Globally, ibogaine is used to treat mental health conditions in nations where it is legal or faces fewer restrictions, with Mexico hosting treatment centers that often serve U.S. veterans. Officials stated there is now sufficient scientific evidence to justify potential use of ibogaine as a mental health treatment. Trump observed: “I’ve been hearing about it a little bit over the last year. I never heard anything about it in the past. It was almost like, taboo. It’s not taboo anymore.”
Luttrell and Representative Michael McCaul, also a Texas Republican, indicated they would push for legislation on ibogaine in Congress, stating they would “continue working in Congress to build on the president’s leadership and expand access to this life-saving treatment.” This action follows Trump’s December executive order backing research into marijuana and cannabidiol.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2026/04/19/nation-world-news/trump-signs-order-to-accelerate-access-to-psychedelic-drug-treatments/