Following a text from Joe Rogan, President Donald Trump signed an executive order Saturday to hasten the research of psychedelics use to treat mental health disorders.
The podcaster joined the president at the White House Saturday for the signing of the order, which will push the Food and Drug Administration to fast-track its review of psychedelics like Ibogaine as part of treatment for military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, Reuters reports.
“Today’s order will ensure that people suffering from debilitating symptoms might finally have a chance to reclaim their lives and lead a happier life,” Trump said.
The research could pave the way for some now-illegal psychedelics to be reclassified if the trials are successful. “I’ve been hearing about it a little bit over the last year,” Trump added of psychedelics being used to treat PTSD. “I never heard anything about it in the past. It was almost like, taboo. It’s not taboo anymore.”
Saturday’s executive order came after Rogan texted the president to lobby about psychedelics. “I sent him that information. The text message that came back: ‘Sounds great. Do you want FDA approval? Let’s do it.’ Literally that quick,” Rogan said in the Oval Office on Saturday.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has similarly supported the use of Ibogaine to treat PTSD symptoms like depression; according to the Pentagon’s annual suicide report, in 2024, 471 U.S. service members died by suicide, and another 1,500 attempted suicide.
FDA Commissioner Martin Makary noted, “Under this new program in this administration, drugs can get approved in weeks, not a year or year plus, but in weeks, if they are in line with our national priorities. This is an unmet public health need, and there are potentially promising treatments. That’s why there’s a sense of urgency around this. That’s why we’re doing it now.”
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