President Donald Trump on Saturday signed an executive order directing federal agencies to accelerate the review of certain psychedelic substances as potential treatments for mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The order allocates $50 million in federal funding to expand access to emerging therapies and instructs the Food and Drug Administration to expedite its evaluation of drugs such as psilocybin and ibogaine, according to NPR. During a ceremony in the Oval Office, Trump held up the signed document and joked, “Can I have some, please?”
The event drew a mix of administration officials and public figures, including Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz, former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell, and podcast host Joe Rogan.
🚨 IT'S OFFICIAL: Surrounded by Joe Rogan, Sec. RFK Jr. and other key players — President Trump SIGNS executive order to expedite FDA review and usage of psychedelic treatments for major problems like suic*de, addiction and depression. pic.twitter.com/WdxZQVqarQ
— John John Jnr (@kikolara23) April 18, 2026
Rogan said he had texted the president about ibogaine and received the response, “Sounds great. Do you want FDA approval? Let’s do it.” Luttrell, whose combat experience was chronicled in Lone Survivor, offered a personal endorsement, stating, “You’re going to save a lot of lives through it. It absolutely changed my life for the better.”
Federal regulators are expected to move quickly. Next week, the FDA plans to issue national priority vouchers for three psychedelic compounds, a step Commissioner Mary Makary indicated could lead to approvals in a matter of weeks. It would mark the first time the agency has fast-tracked psychedelic drugs in this manner.
The executive order frames the initiative as a response to the scale of the nation’s mental health challenges, noting that “over 14 million American adults have a serious mental illness, defined as having a diagnosable mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder,” and that “about 8 million are on prescription medication for these conditions.” The administration has pointed to persistently high suicide rates as a driving concern.
The order also highlights ongoing research involving active-duty service members and veterans suffering from PTSD. The Department of Veterans Affairs is currently participating in at least five clinical trials of psychedelic therapies in New York, California, and Oregon.
Interest in psychedelics as medical treatments dates back decades. Early research in the 1950s suggested potential benefits for addiction and psychiatric disorders, but studies largely halted in the 1960s amid rising recreational use. Research has resumed in recent years, including a 2025 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that found a single dose of LSD could provide relief from anxiety and depression lasting for months.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, roughly 21 million American adults experience at least one major depressive episode each year, and about one in 10 adults has been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder.
Psilocybin, the active compound in so-called “magic mushrooms,” and ibogaine, derived from the West African iboga plant, are currently classified as Schedule I substances by the Drug Enforcement Administration, meaning they have “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” Ibogaine has also been studied for its potential role in treating certain forms of drug addiction.
Trump said the order would accelerate efforts to reconsider that classification and expressed confidence that approvals could come quickly. The FDA previously declined to approve MDMA as a treatment for PTSD in 2024.
The move represents a significant shift in federal policy, signaling a willingness to expand research and potential therapeutic access to psychedelics as part of a broader effort to address mental health in the United States.
