Trump signs order to speed review of psychedelics, including controversial drug ibogaine

US President Donald Trump on Saturday directed his administration to speed up reviews of certain psychedelic drugs, including ibogaine, which recently has been embraced by combat veterans and conservative lawmakers despite having serious safety risks.

Ibogaine is banned under the federal government’s most restrictive category for illegal, high-risk drugs. But the administration is taking steps to ease access to psychedelics that Trump said were already designated as potential breakthroughs by federal regulators.

“Today’s order will ensure that people suffering from debilitating symptoms might finally have a chance to reclaim their lives and lead a happier life,” Trump said as he signed an executive order on the drugs. The Republican president said his directive will help “dramatically accelerate” access to research and treatments on psychedelic drugs. “If these turn out to be as good as people are saying, it’s going to have a tremendous impact,” he said.

Veteran organisations and psychedelic advocates have long contended that ibogaine, which is made from a shrub native to West Africa, has great promise for hard-to-treat conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder and opioid addiction.

Trump’s announcement follows pledges by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jnr and other administration officials to ease access to psychedelics for medical use, an issue that has won rare bipartisan support.