US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at expanding access to certain psychedelic substances for the treatment of mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety.
The directive allocates $50 million in federal funding to improve access to these therapies and instructs the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to accelerate its review process for substances such as psilocybin and ibogaine.
NPR News reported the development on Saturday, noting the administration's push to fast-track regulatory evaluation of psychedelic-assisted treatments.
The president was accompanied by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dr. Mehmet Oz, who serves as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Next week, the FDA is expected to issue national priority vouchers for three psychedelic drugs, a move its commissioner, Mary Makary, said could allow reviews to be completed in a matter of weeks. It would mark the first time the agency has fast-tracked psychedelics.
At the signing ceremony, the president framed the initiative as part of addressing a national mental health crisis, including suicide.
The order states: "Today, over 14 million American adults have a serious mental illness, defined as having a diagnosable mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder, and about 8 million are on prescription medication for these conditions."
Trump highlighted the reported success of psychedelic drugs tested on active-duty military personnel and veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. The Department of Veterans Affairs is currently involved in at least five clinical trials involving these substances in New York, California, and Oregon.
Psychedelics, also known as hallucinogens, are a class of psychoactive substances that produce changes in perception, mood and cognitive processes.
