US President Donald Trump on Saturday ordered his administration to speed up the review of some psychiatric drugs, including ibogaine, which has recently been embraced by anti-war activists and conservative lawmakers despite its serious safety risks.
Ibogaine is banned under the federal government’s most restrictive category of illegal and dangerous drugs. But the administration is taking steps to ease access to psychedelics that Trump said has already been designated as a potential breakthrough by federal regulators.
“Today’s order will ensure that people suffering from debilitating symptoms can have a chance to save their lives and live happy lives,” Trump said as he signed the executive order for the drugs. The Republican president said his order would help “greatly accelerate” access to research and treatment of mental illness drugs. “If this is as good as people say, it will have a big impact,” he said.
Psychedelic organizations and advocates have long claimed that ibogaine, which is made from a bush native to West Africa, holds great promise for difficult-to-treat conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder and opioid addiction.
Trump’s announcement follows promises by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jnr and other administration officials to ease access to treatment for the mentally ill, an issue that has received rare bipartisan support.
