Joe Rogan’s text message to Trump that spurred president to announce huge changes to psychedelic drug policy… before awkward Oval Office moment

President Donald Trump signed a sweeping executive order to accelerate psychedelic drug research following a direct text message from podcast mogul Joe Rogan.

The decision followed a rapid chain of events that unfolded over just a few days and culminated in the striking and sometimes strange appearance of the Oval Office on Saturday afternoon.

The directive marks a significant shift in US drug policy, aiming to speed up federal scrutiny of substances such as ibogaine and LSD.

The move followed what Rogan described as a brief meeting with the president that quickly turned into a full-scale policy push within the administration.

‘We all respect Joe and he’s a little more liberal than me, that’s okay. “I have a lot of liberal friends,” Trump said. ‘Joe is an amazing guy. He wrote me a little note about it and I had it checked. ‘Everyone came back with the same answer.’

Rogan sent Trump information about ibogaine, a powerful psychedelic used by some veterans to treat post-traumatic stress disorder and opioid addiction, including data on reported success rates. Rogan said Trump responded immediately.

Rogan said of Trump’s reaction during the White House event: ‘The text message came back: “Sounds great. Do you want FDA approval? Let’s do it.” ‘It really was that fast.’

What followed was “an unimaginable task,” in the words of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz, a week-long rush to turn a private exchange into federal policy.

On Saturday, Trump signed an executive order directing his administration to step up research and regulatory review for certain psychedelic drugs — substances long classified among the most restricted drugs under federal law.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks with podcaster Joe Rogan as Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office to ease restrictions on mental health treatments, including ibogaine

“In many cases, these experimental treatments have demonstrated life-changing potential for those suffering from severe mental illness and depression, including our beloved veterans,” Trump said at the signing ceremony.

Behind the scenes, officials had been working for months on ways to expand access to psychedelic therapies.

Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had made the issue a priority, and according to sources familiar with the process, after Trump signaled his approval, a number of people, including Calley Means and Dr. Aides including Heidi Overton helped advance the effort.

However, Rogan’s involvement appears to have moved the issue to the top of the agenda.

The executive order directs the Food and Drug Administration to expedite reviews of drugs designated as ‘breakthrough therapies,’ encourages data sharing among federal agencies and opens the door to rapid rescheduling of psychedelics if approved.

FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary said the agency will issue national priority vouchers that allow certain drugs to be approved in weeks rather than months.

There was an odd dynamic between Trump, Kennedy, and Rogan, and the president barely turned to look at the pair after the signing ceremony.

“We all respect Joe, he’s a little more liberal,” Trump said during the signing. ‘It’s not important.’ – Rogan could be seen lurking in the background and partially obscured by the president

Rogan was seen in the background of the cramped Oval Office

This is a dramatic shift for substances that remain illegal under federal law and are classified along with drugs such as heroin.

The president added that the directive would help ‘significantly accelerate’ access to potential treatments.

‘If these turn out to be as good as people say they are, it will have a huge impact.’

Ibogaine, derived from a shrub in West Africa and used in religious ceremonies in countries such as Gabon, is drawing increasing attention from veterans groups and some Republican lawmakers.

Advocates say it can help fight post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction and depression, but medical experts warn of serious risks, including heart complications and a lack of large-scale clinical evidence.

The drug is classified as a Schedule I substance by the Drug Enforcement Administration; This means there are no accepted medical uses for it and there is a high potential for abuse.

“Ibogaine has been incredibly difficult to study in the United States because of its known cardiotoxicity,” said Frederick Barrett of Johns Hopkins, noting that expanded studies could help determine whether the drug is safe and effective.

‘If the executive order can pave the way for objective, scientific research with this compound, it will help us understand whether this is truly a better psychedelic therapy than others.’

Schedule I drugs also include drugs such as heroin and ecstasy (methylenedioxymethamphetamine).

No psychedelics have been approved in the United States, but a number of them are being studied in large trials for a variety of mental health conditions, including psilocybin, MDMA, and LSD.

Classified as Schedule I substances, along with drugs such as heroin, all of these drugs remain illegal.

Two states (Oregon and Colorado) have legalized psychedelic therapy with psilocybin.

Trump’s Executive Order provides new guidance for medical research on drugs like psilocybin and ibogaine

Ibogaine is a naturally occurring psychoactive substance derived from the root of a shrub native to Central Africa.

Ibogaine is not regulated in countries such as Mexico, the Netherlands, Germany and Canada

Drug classifications are divided into five different ‘schedules’; one of which has the highest potential for abuse.

Ibogaine is unregulated in countries such as Mexico, the Netherlands, Germany and Canada.

The drug has gained popularity in recent years and attracted the attention of medical professionals.

Stanford Medicine In 2024, he published a study concluding that ibogaine effectively treated military veterans with traumatic brain injuries.

The study found that the drug safely and effectively reduced PTSD, anxiety and depression when combined with magnesium to protect the heart.

Stanford University’s study was small; It involved 30 veterans who received the drug in Mexico. It did not include a placebo group for comparison, an important feature of rigorous medical studies.

“No other medication has been able to alleviate the functional and neuropsychiatric symptoms of traumatic brain injury,” said Nolan Williams, associate professor of behavioral sciences and psychiatry.

‘The results are dramatic and we plan to investigate this compound further.’

The momentum behind psychedelics has also been fueled by high-profile testimonials.

Support from veterans groups and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry led to passage of legislation last year providing $50 million for ibogaine research in that state.

Perry, who co-founded a group called Americans for Ibogaine, recently appeared on Rogan’s podcast and argued that federal limits on the drug should be reduced.

It was the second time he had spoken about ibogaine on the popular podcast in the past two years.

Trump’s order calls for the Department of Health and Human Services to direct at least $50 million to states that have developed or enacted programs to improve psychedelic drugs for serious mental illnesses.

It is described as a federal-state partnership to provide funding, technical assistance and data sharing.

Ibogaine is known to cause irregular heart rhythms and has been linked to more than 30 deaths in the medical literature, according to the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Research, a nonprofit organization that conducted some early studies in patients outside the United States.

Ismail Lourido Ali, the group’s co-executive director, said Trump’s order could encourage other states to follow the Texas model.

‘The stigma associated with Schedule I drugs is significant,’ Ali said. ‘This seems likely to give Republican governors and legislatures some pretty significant protection from stepping into the ring when it comes to funding research programs at their universities.’

Trump can be seen signing an executive order encouraging more research on ibogaine

From left, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., podcaster Joe Rogan, American Ibogaine CEO W. Bryan Hubbard and former Navy SEAL Marcus Lutrell applaud after Trump signs the executive order

Trump shakes hands with Americans Ibogaine CEO W. Bryan Hubbard during the Executive Order signing ceremony in the Oval Office on Saturday.

“You’re going to save a lot of lives with this,” former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell told Trump during the Oval Office event. ‘It definitely changed my life for the better.’

Luttrell’s memories of a deadly mission in Afghanistan formed the basis of the film ‘Lone Survivor’.

Standing right behind the president as he made his announcement, Rogan, one of the most influential voices in the media and a key figure in Trump’s 2024 campaign, found himself on a sharp edge when Trump noted how “liberal” Rogan was.

The comment came as Rogan lingered in the background of the cramped Oval Office, underscoring the uneasy dynamic between the two men who are sometimes allies, sometimes critics.

Rogan supported Trump in the 2024 election but has since taken aim at the administration on his podcast, particularly over immigration policy and the war with Iran, which he described as “terrible.”

Strange optics saw Rogan partially obscured as he stood behind the president.

Owners of ibogaine clinics said the impact of Saturday’s Decree would not be immediate.

“There will be no insurance coverage, it will still be considered unapproved and non-covered care,” said Tom Feegel of Beond Ibogaine, which operates a clinic in Cancun, Mexico. ‘But what this means is that ibogaine moves from being borderline and underground to becoming federally recognized.’

Feegel said his clinic treated 2,000 people with ibogaine last year at a cost of $15,000 to $20,000 per person. The company also provided free treatment to approximately 100 veterans.

Clinics that use the drug often monitor patients’ heart readings and have emergency medical equipment on hand.