Executive order to speed access to psychedelic treatments likely to have limited legal impact despite high-profile push
The Trump administration issued an executive order earlier this month to accelerate access to psychedelic medication for people with “serious mental illnesses,” but experts say the order is more likely to make a difference symbolically than legally.
“Policymakers and the medical field have long struggled to address the burden of suicide and serious mental illness rates in America,” the order reads, noting that some people do not respond to available treatments.
The order then lists provisions to accelerate access to psychedelic medications, including inter-agency collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs to share data and increase clinical trial participation, and timely rescheduling in the case that an illegal psychedelic receives FDA approval.
Mason Marks, a law professor at Florida State University and senior fellow for psychedelic projects at Harvard Law’s Petrie-Flom Center, said that while the concrete provisions of the order will likely have only “some minimal impact”, he added that “the overall order itself could have a pretty significant impact, just in terms of its symbolic value.” Marks noted that the order came with a lot of fanfare, including a press conference with Joe Rogan, a podcaster, and Marcus Luttrell, a former Navy Seal.
