The War on Drugs made another retreat this week, as the Washington Post covered the story early in its development:
President Donald Trump is planning to sign an executive order on Saturday to boost research into psychedelics and potentially make the drugs available in controlled therapeutic environments, according to three people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the administration’s plans.
Trump’s planned order will direct new steps from the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates drug safety. The agency would issue new guidance to researchers on how to design clinical trials for drugs such as psilocybin, ibogaine and other serotonin receptors. Those drugs, which also include LSD and MDMA, can cause hallucinogenic effects and are illegal in the United States.
Dan Diamond, “Trump plans to ease access to psychedelics like psilocybin, ibogaine,” Washington Post (April 18, 2026).
But a later report in the Washington Examiner shows that the deed’s already been done:
President Donald Trump signed an executive order allowing the use of some psychedelic drugs to treat post-traumatic stress disorder.
Flanked by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., podcaster Joe Rogan, and other cabinet officials, Trump said his new executive order “directs the FDA to expedite their review of certain psychedelics already designated as breakthrough therapy drugs.”
Brady Knox, “Trump signs order boosting psychedelic drugs for PTSD with Rogan looking on,” Washington Examiner (April 18, 2026).
According to the New York Post, the signing was today, Saturday. “The drug is currently classified as a Schedule I controlled substance in the United States.” Specifically, the “order will remove legal restrictions that have prevented extensive studies into the medicine and how it works.”
Of course, there exist many hallucinogenic compounds — enough to make the phrase “the medicine” seem a little odd — and the federal government’s stance on its usage has not just been of suppression: consult Stephen Kinzer’s Poisoner in Chief: Sidney Gottlieb and the CIA Search for Mind Control (2019) for some real mind-blowing information.
But the current executive order is astounding enough to blow some minds:
Individuals suffering from major depressive disorder and substance abuse disorder, among other serious mental illnesses, can relapse or not fully respond to standard medical and psychiatric therapies. Despite massive Federal investment into researching potential advancements in mental health care and treatment, our medical research system has yet to produce approved therapies that promote enduring improvements in the mental health condition of these most complex patients. Innovative methods are needed to find long-term solutions for these Americans beyond existing prescription medications.
Psychedelic drugs, including ibogaine compounds, show potential in clinical studies to address serious mental illnesses for patients whose conditions persist after completing standard therapy. Indeed, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to specific psychedelic drugs, and there are numerous products currently in the clinical trial pipeline for review of safety and efficacy. 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 and reverse the crisis of serious mental illness in America.
Donald J. Trump, Executive Order: “Accelerating Medical Treatments for Serious Mental Illness” (April 18, 2026).
