Trump to sign executive order on psychedelic drug used abroad to treat PTSD
Ibogaine is used in Mexico and the Caribbean to treat depression, anxiety, addiction and brain trauma.
Updated on: April 16, 2026 / 11:51 AM EDT / CBS News
A psychedelic used in some countries to treat post-traumatic stress disorder is expected to get a closer examination from the federal government on its safety and effectiveness, sources told CBS News.
The White House is drafting an executive order that would signal the Trump administration's willingness to further U.S. research into a drug called ibogaine.
Because it's illegal in the United States, Americans have been traveling to unregulated clinics, often in Mexico or the Caribbean, to take the drug.
The Trump administration doesn't plan to reclassify the drug for medical use at this time — it will remain a Schedule I drug.