Pointing out that around 6,000 American veterans commit suicide each year, at a rate twice that of the general population, the text orders the US Food and Drug Administration, FDA, to accelerate the review of certain substances to ultimately facilitate their use by patients.
Limited Access
In the United States and in many countries, access to these substances is extremely limited, if not completely prohibited, as they are classified as addictive, something that the American president and his government want to gradually change.
Veterans, especially former special forces, have been advocating for years to make it easier to access certain psychedelic substances to treat their post-traumatic stress, despite their label as a symbol of the hippie counterculture.
Many claim that the antidepressant cocktails they are prescribed are ineffective, and some have gone to Mexico, where psychedelics are allowed, to benefit from them.
Donald Trump stated on Saturday morning that he was pushed to issue this decree by Joe Rogan, a very influential conservative podcaster who was present with him in the Oval Office at the White House.
One of the substances mentioned in Saturday’s decree is ibogaine, extracted from a shrub in the African equatorial forest. Donald Trump claimed on Saturday that patients who have used it “saw an 80 to 90% reduction in their depression and anxiety symptoms within a month,” jokingly adding, “Can I have some, please?”
However, this substance carries risks, especially for the heart.
