In a major shift for federal drug policy, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Saturday aimed at accelerating the research and approval of psychedelic drugs to treat serious mental illness and rising suicide rates.
The order, titled “Accelerating Medical Treatments for Serious Mental Illness,” directs federal agencies to prioritize breakthrough therapies like ibogaine and psilocybin, potentially moving them from experimental labs to doctors’ offices at a record pace.
The White House pointed to a growing national emergency to justify the move. Currently, more than 14 million American adults suffer from serious mental health conditions, and nearly 8 million rely on traditional prescription medications that often fail to prevent relapses.
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The data cited in the order is particularly stark for veterans: for over two decades, the U.S. has seen more than 6,000 veteran suicides annually, a rate double that of the general adult population. While suicide rates dipped slightly between 2018 and 2020, they spiked again to peak levels in 2022.
The new policy instructs the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to grant “National Priority Vouchers” to psychedelic drugs that have already earned a “Breakthrough Therapy” designation. This move is designed to slash through the typical bureaucratic red tape that can stall drug approvals for years.
Furthermore, the order utilizes the “Right to Try Act,” establishing a legal pathway for terminally ill or severely struggling patients to access these substances—including ibogaine compounds—even while they remain in the clinical trial phase.
Funding is also a core pillar of the plan. The Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) has been directed to carve out at least $50 million from existing funds through the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). This money will support state governments that are already building their own programs to research and distribute psychedelic treatments.
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To ensure these drugs can actually reach the market, the order tackles the legal status of psychedelics, many of which are currently listed as Schedule I substances—the most restrictive category under the Controlled Substances Act. The Attorney General is now required to initiate a “timely rescheduling” review for any psychedelic product that successfully completes Phase 3 clinical trials.
“It is the policy of my Administration to accelerate innovative research models and appropriate drug approvals to increase access to psychedelic drugs that could save lives,” the order states. The directive also mandates a data-sharing pact between the FDA and the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure that clinical evidence gathered from treating soldiers is used to speed up formal drug approvals for the entire country.
By the authority of the order, the FDA and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) must also coordinate to provide necessary handling authorizations for physicians and researchers, ensuring that those working with these powerful substances are not caught in a legal vacuum.
The implementation of the order begins immediately, with the Department of Health and Human Services covering the costs of its publication.
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