Trump greenlights psychedelic drug for human testing

Podcaster Joe Rogan and a handful of U.S. military veterans joined President Donald Trump on Saturday as he signed an executive order tasking the Food and Drug Administration with speeding up its review of psychedelic drugs for treating mental health and drug addiction.

The order designated $50 million for researching the mental health effects of ibogaine, a hallucinogenic compound derived from the Central West African iboga shrub. Researchers in Mexico and Brazil have experimented with using the psychedelic to treat drug addiction, but studies in the United States have been limited by federal law classifying ibogaine as a Schedule 1 controlled substance alongside LSD and heroin. State governments in Texas and Arizona have already authorized their own clinical trials.

What is the Food and Drug Administration doing about it? FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said his agency will prioritize clinical trials for ibogaine, with the aim of reducing the approval time from years to weeks for new treatments. The order also allows researchers and qualifying patients to try the drug in controlled settings.

Is it safe? Veterans invited to the Oval Office credited ibogaine treatments they received abroad for recovery from opioid addiction and alcoholism. But National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya told the president that the safety of ibogaine cannot yet be taken for granted, and that it must be researched thoroughly ahead of FDA approval. When Trump asked him to clarify whether ibogaine treatments work, Bhattacharya sidestepped, saying it works in most cases, but scientists are not sure why. The NIH’s file on ibogaine says the psychedelic has been known to cause heart failure.

How is Joe Rogan involved? The chart-topping podcaster has a track record of discussing and even smoking cannabis with guests on his show. Earlier in April, he interviewed ibogaine advocates about their work, and later asked President Trump about clearing the way for more research.

Dig deeper: Read Grace Snell’s feature report on the effects of magic mushrooms.