I was surprised to find this news item among yesterday’s headlines:
Trump accelerates research on psychedelic treatments and asks, ‘Can I have some?’
Some of what? Which of the many psychedelic treatments is to be the centerpiece of this new national initiative?
Turned out it was ibogaine.
I would’ve guessed psilocybin, based on the amount of research available, but the government decided to throw its support behind a lesser-known drug “…used ceremonially in Central Africa for its hallucinogenic and dream-inducing effect.”
It appears the Administration plans to invest $50 million of Federal funds for research. That follows the $50 million invested last summer by, believe it or not, the Texas state government.
In Texas, the driving force was former governor Rick Perry. Yesterday, it was podcaster Joe Rogan.
“I want to tell everybody how this happened,” Rogan said from the (signing ceremony in the) Oval Office. “I sent President Trump some information.”
“The text message that came back,” Rogan said, “’sounds great, do you want FDA approval? Let’s do it.’” Rogan added that it was “literally that quick.”
This is what I was afraid of — no careful analysis or decision-making. An impulse buy, possibly for political reasons.
The FDA Director remarked that approval could indeed be speedy. “Drugs can get approved in weeks, not a year or a year-plus but in weeks, if they are in line with our national priorities,” he said proudly.
Apparently, some of the more level-headed members of the medical community are already expressing concern about the possibility that, due to the aforementioned “national priorities”, psychedelics will avoid the usual scrutiny from experts. That could certainly pose risks to the public.
After all, ibogaine has been blamed for a number of deaths over the years. I don’t think anyone bothered to mention that, in the celebratory atmosphere of yesterday’s Oval Office ceremony.
The President even made a joke. ‘Can I have some?’
