Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at speeding up medical research and the therapeutic use of psychedelic substances, drugs that until recently remained on the margins because of strict prohibitions.
The order asks the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to fast-track the review of substances such as ibogaine, which veterans’ organizations consider a possible solution for relieving people suffering from post-traumatic stress, while it is also believed to help address addictions.
Trump announced $50 million in funding for federal research into ibogaine, a substance found in a West African plant.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long spoken positively in favor of using such substances as an alternative approach to treating mental health disorders such as depression.
During an event in the Oval Office, officials said these changes could pave the way for the reclassification of substances currently considered illegal and hallucinogenic, provided clinical trials deliver positive results.
At the same time, Trump announced $50 million in funding for federal research related to ibogaine.
The head of the FDA left open the possibility that the first decisions could be made as early as this summer.
