• Federal action signals growing recognition of psychedelic therapies’ potential to address urgent mental health challenges, including PTSD, depression, and substance use disorders
• Expanding research must be paired with rigorous science, strong ethical frameworks, and collaboration with Indigenous communities
• Prohibition increases risks and limits oversight, underscoring the need for a public health–first approach grounded in evidence, equitable access, and responsible regulation
  

WASHINGTON, April 18, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) issued the following statements from Co-Executive Directors Betty Aldworth and Ismail L. Ali, J.D., on today’s Executive Order regarding accelerating research and investment of $50 million of federal funds into studying psychedelic compounds such as ibogaine, psilocybin, LSD, and MDMA.

The directive and funding reflect growing recognition that psychedelic compounds may play a role in addressing the urgent mental health challenges faced by the growing number of Americans experiencing PTSD, depression, and substance use disorders.

These developments mark a meaningful shift in the federal government’s approach to psychedelic policy and drug development, and their impact will depend on how effectively they support rigorous research, patient safety, and equitable access.

Ismail L. Ali, J.D., Co-Executive Director, MAPS
As federal agencies are directed to reduce barriers to clinical research and accelerate drug approvals for psychedelic substances, it is critical that these efforts remain grounded in transparent, evidence-based processes.

In addition to MAPS' advanced drug development research studying MDMA, other psychedelic compounds including ibogaine, LSD, and psilocybin show promise in early- and mid-stage research for treating conditions including PTSD, depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders. Emerging evidence suggests these therapies may offer meaningful benefits for patients who have not responded to existing treatments. As federal agencies move to reduce longstanding barriers to research, it is essential that progress across this broader class of compounds remains grounded in rigorous science, careful evaluation, and a commitment to patient safety.

MAPS has long worked to lay the groundwork for implementing psychedelics into medicine, including conducting ibogaine studies that established an evidentiary foundation for its potential as a treatment for substance use disorder over ten years ago. We are continuing this work by developing Open Science resources to support researchers, policymakers, and practitioners; this summer, we will publish a publicly available Investigator’s Brochure for ibogaine, a comprehensive literature review summarizing the known clinical and non-clinical data on the compound.

Ibogaine has the potential to address the devastating crisis of opioid use disorder. However, because iboga is a limited resource, mass production of ibogaine can harm the people, traditions, and land where iboga is grown. As it is incorporated into medicine, we call for alignment with global public health principles including cultural respect, sustainability, and community engagement, and MAPS is carefully watching growing state and federal activity as U.S. stakeholders engage with the Gabonese government and industry.

Ibogaine, its parent medicine iboga, the people who use it traditionally, and people with addiction deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. Thoughtful use of ibogaine as a medicine will require a balance of social responsibility, patient safety, and public benefit.

Expanding access to treatment must come with strong ethical commitments: frameworks developed with Indigenous people, responsible global partnerships, accessible public education, and protections against extractive or purely commercial approaches.

Betty Aldworth, Co-Executive Director, MAPS
At a time when lives are at stake, we must support our loved ones and neighbors who are burdened by mental health concerns. Effective treatments in safe environments are within our reach. Yet ibogaine, a drug with profound potential medical benefit and near-zero “abuse potential,” is one of many promising psychedelic-assisted treatments that underscores the malpractice of the drug war.

Psychedelic-assisted therapies have the potential to radically reduce the immeasurable pain and loss of record overdose deaths and widespread increases in symptoms of mental health concerns. Today’s Executive Order reflects growing recognition that modern mental health challenges demand new approaches. Streamlining psychedelic research and investing in psychedelic research signals an important step toward aligning policy with emerging scientific evidence.

For decades, the War on Drugs has impaired research on promising treatments and safe, regulated care. We cannot continue to allow outdated policies to stand in the way of treatments that may help people, including many Veterans and survivors of sexual assault, who are suffering.

Today, people desperate for healing are traveling abroad or self-medicating with impure substances and little support. Efforts like today’s Executive Order — to accelerate approval timelines and expand access for patients with serious or life-threatening conditions, like PTSD — must be paired with regulated psychedelics, provider training, and robust insurance coverage.

We must be clear-eyed about both the opportunity and the responsibility ahead. Psychedelic-assisted therapy is effective, but it’s not a simple treatment or a panacea. Many people find long-term relief with treatment from qualified providers who carefully screen, prepare, and support clients. When we ignore that evidence, we put our communities and future at risk.

People living with addiction and trauma deserve our urgent attention, not just incremental change. We have both an opportunity and a responsibility. With thoughtful implementation, federal leadership can help transition psychedelic-assisted therapies from limited research settings into safe options. Without change, we risk repeating the past, where urgency outpaced evidence and people in need were left to find treatment in alleys or with snake oil.

We can choose to prioritize healing over punishment. We can choose science over stigma. We can responsibly study and safely integrate promising psychedelic-assisted treatments into our healthcare system. Given the alternative, why would we choose anything else?

About MAPS
Founded in 1986, MAPS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research and educational organization that develops medical, legal, and cultural contexts for people to benefit from the careful use of psychedelics and marijuana. MAPS previously sponsored the most advanced psychedelic-assisted therapy research in the world and continues to support psychedelic and marijuana research with a focus on the people and places most impacted by trauma. MAPS incubated Lykos Therapeutics, a drug-development public benefit company, and The Zendo Project, a leader in psychedelic harm reduction. Since MAPS was founded, philanthropic donors and grantors have given more than $150 million to advance psychedelic research, change drug policy, and shape culture.

Media Contact:
media@maps.org