If confirmed to lead the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has a unique chance to advance major drug reforms, say some advocates, adding that he has previously endorsed expanding access to psychedelic therapies for military veterans and creating a pathway toward legalizing the use of psilocybin and ibogaine.
Still, some advocates say Kennedy’s lack of scientific credentials and his use of anti-vaccine rhetoric on the campaign trail could hinder his ability to build consensus around legalizing psychedelic medicines.
“It’s promising for the movement because of his support for alternative health and him being open about his struggle with addiction as well as his son’s, and how they were helped with at least some of the psychedelics,” said Erin Witter, director of the Colorado Psychedelic Society.
Trump’s nomination of Kennedy to lead HHS could lead to a significant shift in how the federal government is approaching psychedelic therapies. People close to President Joe Biden have said the president is “open-minded” about legalizing psychedelics. In December 2023, the president signed a defense bill that authorized the federal government to spend $10 million studying the impact of psychedelic therapies on military veterans suffering from PTSD.
Despite the president’s support, federal regulators with the Food and Drug Administration in August denied an application by drugmaker Lykos Therapeutics to legalize MDMA , also known as ecstasy, for PTSD treatments. Lykos told the agency that the treatment would have been used in concert with talk therapy. Even so, the FDA said it did not see enough evidence to suggest the treatment is safe and effective. Kennedy Kennedy has said he does not support the “blanket legalization” of psychedelics but does support making it easier for therapists and healing centers to provide treatments. He has also said he supports increasing access to psychedelic therapies for military veterans who suffer from PTSD and other service-related trauma.
“My inclination would be to make [psychedelics] available, at least in therapeutic settings and maybe more generally, but in ways that would discourage the corporate control and exploitation of it,” Kennedy said during an interview last December with a […]
How RFK Jr. Could Boost Colorado’s Budding Psychedelic Movement
