It is a decision that will allow scientists to try to find new avenues in the fight against post-traumatic stress. Donald Trump issued a decree on Saturday to lift restrictions on psychedelic substances to facilitate research on their antidepressant effects.
Pointing out that about 6,000 American veterans commit suicide each year, at a rate double that of the general population, the text orders the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to accelerate the review of certain substances to ultimately facilitate their use by patients.
Psychedelics authorized in Mexico
In the United States as well as in many countries, access to these substances is extremely limited, if not completely prohibited, as they are classified as addictive, which the American president and his government want to gradually change.
Former soldiers, especially former members of special forces, have been advocating for years to ease access to certain psychedelic substances to treat their post-traumatic stress, despite their label as a symbol of hippie counterculture. Many claim that the antidepressant cocktails they are prescribed are ineffective, and some have gone to Mexico, where psychedelics are authorized, to benefit from them.
Trump influenced by Joe Rogan
Donald Trump announced on Saturday morning that he was pushed to issue this decree by Joe Rogan, a very influential conservative podcaster who was present with him in the Oval Office at the White House. One of the substances mentioned in the decree is ibogaine, extracted from a shrub in the African equatorial forest. The American president assured that patients who have used it have seen an 80 to 90% reduction in their depression and anxiety symptoms within a month, jokingly adding, “Can I have some, please?” However, this substance carries risks, especially for the heart.
The decree “will remove legal barriers that prevent American researchers, scientists, doctors, and clinicians from properly studying these medications and, when appropriate, establishing protocols for therapeutic use,” said US Secretary of Health Robert Kennedy Jr.
