President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at expanding access to certain psychoactive substances for the treatment of mental health disorders, including depression and anxiety.
Under this directive, $50 million in federal funds will be allocated to improve access to these therapies. It also calls on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to expedite the review of substances such as psilocybin and ibogaine.
Additionally, NPR News radio reported on this development on Saturday, highlighting the administration’s desire to accelerate the regulatory evaluation of psychedelic-assisted treatments.
During the signing, the president was accompanied by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Following this, the FDA is expected to issue national priority vouchers for three psychedelic medications as early as next week. According to Commissioner Mary Makary, this move could help expedite reviews in just a few weeks, marking a first for the agency in terms of psychedelic substance treatment approval.
At the ceremony, the president presented this initiative as a response to the national mental health crisis, particularly regarding the issue of suicide.
The executive order states: “Today, more than 14 million American adults suffer from a serious mental illness, defined as a diagnosable mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder, and approximately 8 million are on medication for these conditions.”
Donald Trump also emphasized the promising results of psychedelic treatments tested on active-duty military personnel and veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. To date, the Department of Veterans Affairs is involved in at least five clinical trials using these substances, including in New York, California, and Oregon.
Finally, psychedelics, also known as hallucinogens, refer to a category of psychoactive substances capable of altering perception, mood, and cognitive processes.
