Trump Administration Aims to Fast-Track Psychedelic Therapies for PTSD
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The Trump administration has directed the FDA to fast-track psychedelic therapies like ibogaine to treat PTSD and other mental health disorders. farmer images/Getty Images. A sweeping executive order aims to fast-track psychedelic therapies, putting drugs like ibogaine in the national spotlight. The policy expands research funding, accelerates FDA review pathways, and opens access routes for patients with serious mental illness. The executive order explicitly calls out ibogaine therapy, despite limited research and serious questions about its safety profile. The move coincides with Trump’s recent call to reclassify medical cannabis as a less dangerous drug, marking major shifts in national policy around controlled substances. President Trump signed an executive order aimed at expanding research and improving access to psychedelic drug therapies. The April 18 order also aims to streamline and expedite the Food and Drug Administration’s approval process for certain high-priority treatments. The Trump administration has touted the executive order as an important step toward addressing the nation’s mental health crisis, especially among U.S. veterans, who bear an outsized share of that burden. A diverse coalition, including psychedelic research organizations, medical professionals, veterans groups, and podcaster Joe Rogan, has publicly celebrated the decision. The order also allocates $50 million to support state-level psychedelic research. The shift in policy coincides with Trump’s recent move to reclassify medical cannabis as a less dangerous drug. Matthew Johnson, PhD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins University, called the decision “welcome news,” adding that it is “building upon decades of science.” Psychedelics are a class of drugs that act on the body’s serotonin system. They can produce well-known effects, including changes to visual perception, hallucinations, an altered sense of self, and feelings of insight or connec