April 28, 2026 

President Trump's Executive Order on Psychedelic Drugs

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  This week, President Trump issued a milestone executive order (EO) aimed at accelerating the development of psychedelic drugs as medical treatments. The EO, which instructs the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reduce the restrictions and bureaucratic hurdles that limit the study of psychedelic compounds, is a risky step toward enhancing research into their potential medical use.     ‍

While Doctors for America supports reducing barriers to accessing psychedelics for further research, we are deeply concerned that this EO allows certain products to circumvent the traditional drug approval process. The EO directs the FDA to use the Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher Program which would allow the FDA to approve psychedelics for use in the general population with one or two months of review. This EO specifically highlights reducing restrictions on ibogaine, which has been less studied than other similar psychedelic compounds such as psilocybin, ketamine, and LSD. By encouraging the federal government to rush access to these treatments, this announcement raises concerns that FDA will seek a predetermined outcome rather than allowing the evidence to guide its conclusion. 

Psychedelics are not without harms, and not all people respond to psychedelics in the same manner. Some patients experience protracted mental health problems, rather than improvement in mental health, after psychedelic use. Psychedelics can raise heart rate and blood pressure, so caution should be needed in patients with pre-existing cardiovascular conditions. While DFA is supportive of descheduling psychedelic substances to improve access for research, care must be taken to ensure that rigorous studies are performed investigating the safety of these substances prior to FDA approval and release for use in general populations. 

As physicians, we want our patients to have access to better treatments for mental health conditions. However, we are concerned that the insertion of politics by the use of executive powers risks undermining public trust and safety by jeopardizing FDA’s role as the categorical regulator of the drug approval process.

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About Doctors for America:

Doctors for America (DFA) is a national nonprofit that mobilizes over 40,000 physicians and medical trainees to advocate for policies that improve the health of patients and communities. Through advocacy training and action at the state and federal levels, DFA works to expand access to affordable care, strengthen community health and prevention, and advance health justice and equity. We do not accept funding from pharmaceutical, insurance, or for-profit health care entities, ensuring our work remains fiercely independent and patient-centered. DFA puts patients over politics–and over profits. Find out more at doctorsforamerica.org and on X @drsforamerica or Bluesky drsforamerica.bsky.social.