Trump plans to ease access to psychedelics like psilocybin, ibogaine

President Donald Trump is set to announce new efforts 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 announcement 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.

The president is also expected to tout the drugs’ potential to help military veterans and other patients dealing with PTSD and cite efforts by the National Institutes of Health, which funds clinical research, to support studies into the drugs.

The announcement could come as soon as this weekend, the people said.

The federal government currently categorizes psilocybin, ibogaine and other psychedelics as Schedule I drugs, which means that they have no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Ibogaine, for instance, has been linked to heart risks. Federal law prohibits the cultivation and possession of Schedule I drugs, except for approved research studies.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/04/17/trump-psychedelics-psylocibin-research/