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Trump signs executive order to research psychedelics, including ibogaine, for mental health treatment

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Kerry Breen
News Editor
Kerry Breen is a news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University's Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News' TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use.
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Kerry Breen

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President Trump has signed an executive order to ease research restrictions on psychedelics, including the drug ibogaine, which is used in some countries to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. 

Health officials, including Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and podcaster Joe Rogan joined Mr. Trump in the Oval Office for the signing Saturday. 

Mr. Trump said the order will "dramatically accelerate access to new medical research and treatments based on psychedelic drugs," which he said have shown "life-changing potential." 

Mr. Trump said that the federal government will make a $50 million research investment into psychedelic research. He said the federal government was also opening a pathway for ibogaine to be administered to "desperately ill patients" under the .  

"Everybody is so strongly in favor of this. It's for a lot of people, but it's for our veterans in particular," Mr. Trump said, highlighting veteran suicide rates. 

"If these turn out to be as good as people are saying it's going to have a tremendous impact on this country and in other countries too," Mr. Trump added. 

Food and Drug Administration commissioner Marty Makary said that three psychedelics would be added to the National Priority Voucher pilot program, which is a pathway meant to dramatically reduce review times for drug and biological products that align with U.S. national health priorities. The FDA will also begin the process to allow for researchers to conduct human trials into ibogaine's use, he said. 

"This is an unmet public health need and there are potentially promising treatments," Makary said. "That's why there is a sense of urgency around this."

CBS News first reported that Mr. Trump was expected to sign the order earlier this week. 

Ibogaine is a naturally occurring compound found in a shrub native to Africa. It has been used to treat depression, anxiety, addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder and brain trauma. Researchers say ibogaine could eventually fill a gap in addiction treatment, particularly for opioid dependence, but  large-scale clinical trials are needed  it can be considered safe or effective for any condition.

The scientific evidence behind the drug so far consists mostly of small observational studies and open-label trials. Only  has been completed. More advanced  have been started recently, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill approving $50 million for research last year. It is unclear how the federal government will help facilitate further research. Sources told CBS News that strategies were still being hammered out in internal discussions this week. 

As a Schedule I substance, ibogaine is  by the Drug Enforcement Administration alongside substances including heroin and ecstacy. Americans have traveled to unregulated clinics, often in Mexico or the Caribbean, to take the drug. Studies show that ibogaine can cause , which can be fatal. A  of 24 studies including 705 people called the risk of death from heart problems "worrying," and showed that at least  after taking ibogaine. 

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