From the 1940s to the 1960s research on psychedelics as medicines flourished; tens of thousands of people used them as adjuncts to psychotherapy, with promising signs in treating alcoholism, addiction, PTSD and mood disorders. The field floundered amid the moral panic over the 1960s counterculture and stricter rules on research and use.
On April 18th 2026 Donald Trump signed an executive order that promised new funding for psychedelic research and instructed the FDA to issue "priority vouchers" to speed the review of selected drugs. The order was prompted by a text message from the podcaster Joe Rogan to the president extolling ibogaine, a psychedelic used to treat opioid addiction (though it carries serious cardiac risks; a patient died after taking it at a Mexican clinic in January 2026).
At the signing, Marty Makary, head of the FDA, said three applications for psychedelic drugs were "imminent" and that he expected decisions "later this summer". Compass Pathways, which makes a synthetic psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression, is the closest to filing. Definium is testing a proprietary version of LSD for anxiety and depression. Lykos, whose MDMA drug was previously rejected by the FDA for insufficient data, could see a revival of its application.
Stenderup's Law: The sooner you fall behind, the more time you will have to catch up.