President Donald Trump signed a sweeping executive order on Saturday directing federal agencies to fast-track research into psychedelic drugs after a direct text message exchange with podcast host Joe Rogan, marking a rapid policy shift inside the White House.
“We all respect Joe and he’s a little bit more liberal than I am. That’s OK. I have a lot of friends that are liberal,” Trump said during the Oval Office event. “Joe is an amazing guy. He wrote me a little note about this, and I had it checked out. Everybody came back with the same answer.”
The directive aims to accelerate federal review of substances such as ibogaine and LSD, which remain classified as Schedule I drugs under federal law. The order directs the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to expedite breakthrough therapy designations, encourages interagency data sharing, and opens the door to rapid scheduling if safety and efficacy are demonstrated.
The move follows months of internal discussions led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and aides working on expanding access to alternative mental health treatments, but Rogan’s outreach appears to have accelerated the timeline.
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Rogan said he shared with Trump the information that claimed ibogaine was highly successful in treating opiate addiction.
“The text message came back: ‘Sounds great. Do you want FDA approval? Let’s do it,’” Rogan said, describing Trump’s immediate response. “It was literally that quick.”
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz described the internal effort as a rapid policy sprint, with officials moving in days to translate a private exchange into a formal executive order. The administration framed the move as part of a broader push to address mental health challenges, particularly among veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and addiction.
“In many cases, these experimental treatments have shown life-changing potential for those suffering from severe mental illness and depression, including our cherished veterans,” Trump said at the signing.
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While no psychedelic has yet received FDA approval in the United States, compounds like psilocybin and MDMA are currently being studied in clinical trials. Two states, Oregon and Colorado, have already legalized supervised psilocybin therapy programs, signaling growing state-level momentum.
“You’re going to save a lot of lives through it,” former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell told Trump during the event. “It absolutely changed my life for the better.”
Ibogaine, a psychedelic derived from a West African shrub, has drawn attention from veterans groups and some Republican lawmakers as a potential treatment for PTSD and opioid addiction.
However, medical experts have warned of serious risks, including heart complications and a lack of large-scale clinical trials. The drug has been linked to more than 30 deaths, according to existing medical literature.
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“It’s been incredibly difficult to study ibogaine in the US because of its known cardiotoxicity,” said Frederick Barrett of Johns Hopkins University, according to PBS. “If the executive order can pave the way for doing objective, scientific research with this compound, it would help us understand whether it is truly a better psychedelic therapy than others.”
