Trump signs executive order to speed up access to psychedelics in medicine
The US President has directed the FDA to expedite the review of psychedelic drugs as a mental health treatment, including ibogaine
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Saturday aimed at accelerating access to medical research and treatment based on psychedelic drugs.
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The order means the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must now review more rapidly the use of drugs such as ibogaine, which US military veteran groups have said can help treat post-traumatic stress disorder.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has championed the idea of using drugs such as ibogaine as an alternative treatment for mental health conditions such as depression.
US federal officials said the reforms would pave the way for the drugs, which can cause hallucinations and are largely illegal, to be reclassified after successful clinical trials.
Trump also said the US would dedicate $50 million (£37 million) to federal research into ibogaine.
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US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary said decisions on the drugs could come as soon as this summer.
Ibogaine comes from a shrub native to Africa and is a Schedule I substance in the United States, meaning it has "no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse," according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Globally, ibogaine is sometimes used to treat mental health conditions in nations where it is legal or faces fewer restrictions. Mexico has ibogaine treatment centres that often attract US veterans.
Officials on Saturday said there is now enough scientific evidence to justify the potential use of ibogaine as a mental health treatment.
"I've been hearing about it a little bit over the last year," Trump said. "I never heard anything about it in the past. It was almost like, taboo. It's not taboo anymore".
In December, Trump signed an executive order backing research into marijuana and cannabidiol, also substances classified as illegal.
The December order would represent one of the most significant federal changes to marijuana policy in decades.
The Justice Department's Drug Enforcement Administration has not yet reclassified the drug.
During Saturday’s signing ceremony, US military veteran Morgan Luttrell said he and others had unsuccessfully tried to pass legislation in Congress.
In a statement after the signing, Luttrell and Representative Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican who formerly chaired the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said they would also push for legislation on ibogaine.
"We will continue working in Congress to build on the president's leadership and expand access to this life-saving treatment," the two said. "Our veterans answered the call for us. Now we must deliver for them."