Why Trump Promotes Psychedelics for Mental Health
Marie Phelan said she had never heard of MDMA before she spotted a flyer looking for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Now she says the psychoactive drug, better known as ecstasy or molly, changed the course of her life.
“My experience with MDMA just tore my heart open,” said Phelan, who joined the U.S. Army Reserves in 1999 and deployed to Iraq in 2003.
“I was carrying this big, heavy backpack and I just set it down on the beach and started unpacking one tiny thing at a time and putting each little thing on the waves,” Phelan said of getting relief from treatment.
Phelan isn’t the only one to turn to alternative treatments for trauma. She is one of a small group of Americans who have undergone psychedelic-assisted therapy as part of clinical trials examining new approaches to treating mental illness.
Now access to these therapies is closer than ever to wider expansion, bringing new options for patients and opportunities for companies – but also new tests of safety and effectiveness.
In April, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at speeding up research into psychedelic drugs for mental illness. The move came as his government issued priority review vouchers to three companies developing psychedelic or MDMA-like therapies – Compass pathsUsona Institute and Transcend Therapeutics – aiming to expedite parts of the FDA review process.
The order marks a notable shift in tone from Trump’s first term, when his administration took a tougher stance on cannabis and other controlled substances. This time, the White House said psychedelic compounds “show potential in clinical trials to treat serious mental illness in patients whose symptoms persist after completion of standard therapy.”
U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order to study the effects of psychedelic drugs in the medical treatment of veterans in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC on Saturday, April 18, 2026
The Washington Post | The Washington Post | Getty Images
Investors quickly flocked to the sector. Shares of psychedelic drug developers such as Compass Pathways and other industry-linked rivals rallied after the announcement, with Wall Street analysts arguing the order could legitimize an industry long viewed as a fringe.
However, the scientific findings remain controversial and raise questions about how much room the segment still has for growth.
In the laboratory
Historically, research on psychedelics has focused more on specific medical conditions. Psilocybin – the active ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms – has been linked to treating depression, MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD, and LSD for anxiety.
While drugs like psilocybin and ibogaine — a psychoactive compound derived from a West African shrub that some advocates believe can help treat addiction and traumatic brain injury — are considered classic psychedelics, MDMA is technically classified as an empathogen.
Still, researchers and regulators often classify MDMA-assisted therapy within the broader field of psychedelic medicine because the treatments include supervised therapy sessions aimed at treating conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and addiction.
“It’s important to recognize that these are all very different drugs,” said Brandon Weiss, a researcher at the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “Ibogaine and other psychedelic compounds have different safety profiles and different risks.”
FILE PHOTO: Psilocybin, or “magic mushrooms,” are seen in an undated photo released by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in Washington on May 7, 2019.
DEA | Reuters
Clinical research on some of these compounds has shown promising results. In late-stage trials sponsored by the nonprofit psychedelic research advocacy group According to a study by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, approximately 71% of participants with severe PTSD no longer met diagnostic criteria for the disorder after MDMA-assisted therapy sessions.
The FDA rejected a previous application for MDMA-assisted therapy in 2024, citing concerns about the design of the same late-stage trial and the need for additional data. Some psychedelic researchers viewed the decision as evidence that the agency remains cautious despite growing public enthusiasm.
Countries outside the US have already started easing restrictions. Australia became the first country to allow licensed psychiatrists to prescribe MDMA and psilocybin for certain mental health conditions in 2023. Researchers in Canada, Switzerland and the United Kingdom have also expanded clinical trials examining psychedelic-assisted therapies.
Still, Weiss warns that not all psychedelic compounds pose the same risks — or have the same amount of evidence supporting their use.
“Psychedelic compounds have different safety profiles and different risks,” Weiss said. “Ibogaine carries a particularly high cardiovascular risk, so a very measured, methodical assessment of safety and effectiveness between ibogaine and other compounds must be made.”
The White House executive order made a specific reference to advancing research into ibogaine. But unlike psilocybin or MDMA-assisted therapy, ibogaine has not undergone large-scale clinical trials in the United States and has been linked to potentially serious cardiovascular side effects.
Weiss said the real concern among some researchers is not that psychedelic therapies are ineffective, but that political dynamics could overtake the scientific process.
“My biggest concern would be that FDA standards are being relaxed for politically motivated reasons,” he said. “It’s not clear if that’s the case, but much more scientific research and a very objective interpretation of the risks and benefits is needed.”
Kabir Nath, CEO of Compass Pathways, said his company adheres to the same standards that the FDA applies to all drugs. He said the company would not have started the approval process for its drug COMP360 psilocybin if it thought the data was insufficient.
Even proponents of psychedelic treatment admit that the therapies are far more complex than taking a prescription pill at home. Most psychedelic-assisted therapy attempts require hours of preparation with physicians, supervised treatment sessions, and subsequent integration therapy.
The treatments also come with risks. During sessions, patients may experience panic attacks, paranoia, increased heart rates, or psychological distress. In some clinical settings, doctors use so-called “rescue medications,” such as benzodiazepines or antipsychotics, to calm patients who are experiencing severe side effects or overwhelming hallucinations.
Phelan said her own experience with MDMA-assisted therapy felt less like intoxication and more like dealing with years of trauma in a controlled environment.
For veterans advocates like Juliana Mercer, executive director of the nonprofit Healing Breakthrough, the government’s order represents a vindication for patients who have advocated for broader access to alternative mental health treatments for years. Mercer, a US Marine Corps veteran, said psychedelic-assisted therapy “completely changed” her life after she struggled with trauma.
“One of the things this experience was able to give me was permission to heal,” Mercer said.
Why now?
As the Trump administration pursues VA staffing cuts and increased military involvement in Iran, some veterans are increasingly questioning the prioritization of their care.
As a result, some critics of the Trump administration said the timing of the executive order is particularly important as the president seeks to win back support from veterans ahead of the midterm elections.
However, Phelan rejected the idea that support for psychedelic therapies would lead to political support for Trump.
“They had made so many cuts to veterans benefits and medical care,” Phelan said. “Great, you did a good thing. You did the right thing… I can’t say how other people will react, but if that’s the intention, I doubt it’s effective.”
Some industry executives also argue that the executive order may have less immediate impact than headlines suggest. Companies like Compass Pathways were already nearing the final stages of Phase 3 trials before the White House’s announcement, meaning submissions to the FDA are likely imminent regardless.
Nath, CEO of Compass Pathways, said the order primarily signals broader political acceptance of the field.
“There is certainly significant tailwind, encouragement and reassurance,” Nath said.
—CNBC’s Ryan Baker contributed to this report
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