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Trump signs order to speed up review of psychedelic drugs for mental health treatment 83%
4/21/2026, 12:53:56 AM
BS Summary: This video contains 26 faulty reasoning types, including Appeal to Authority, Negativity Bias, and Framing Effect, with Anecdotal as the most egregious example at 35.1% saturation with 222 hits. Analysis detected 1,914 faulty-reasoning hits from 632 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 75.6% and a BS Rank of 83% (2,897 of 16,813 videos). This video is worse (more manipulative) than 82.80% of the video peer group.
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>> These experimental treatments have shown life-changing potential.
>> President Trump signed an executive order on Saturday up reviews of certain psychedelic drugs, easing restrictions for medical research on psilocybin or magic mushrooms and ibagane, a natural psychoactive drug. Even joking he'd be open to trying them.
>> Can I have some, please? I'll take some.
>> Popular podcaster Joe Rogan says he helped push the president on the issue.
I sent him that information. The text message came back, "Sounds great. Do you want FDA approval? Let's do it."
>> It's a far cry from the 1970s when Richard Nixon declared war on drugs.
>> Public enemy number one in the United States is drug abuse.
>> While psychedelic drugs remain banned federally, some states and localities have decriminalized possession and use.
Though researchers say there are serious potential safety risks. But a growing movement of veterans and advocates have pushed for more research into the drug's potential medical benefits.
Professor Alex Quan studies psychedelics and their effect on the brain at Cornell University.
>> You think back into the 1970s and 1980s, I think these drugs are viewed negatively, but I think, you know, some of that could be not fully warranted and I think now we're seeing more research and science into these drugs to explore their potential positive benefits.
News some combat veterans like Joshua Wall are glad to hear.
>> Spent time in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
>> Wall says he turned to the VA when he returned home in 2009. He was suffering from PTSD and spinal injuries.
>> I proceeded to go ahead and get on all the various medications that the VA prescribed to me. Tried that for over a period of 2 years and uh it made me a shell of a human being. 10 years later, the husband and dad tried micro doing on mushrooms.
>> Would you say that psilocybin healed you?
>> Very much so.
>> Do you know veterans personally whose lives have been saved by psychedelics?
>> Yes, hundreds and hundreds.
>> Veteran suicide rates are 58% higher than the general population. Wall says he hopes this new research push could bring that number down dramatically.
>> We just got tired of uh losing people.
We have the ability to say, "Hey, this is something that worked for me." and we can help you get better.
>> Okay, with that, Julie joins top story tonight.
Julie, the EO is meant to speed up the review process, right, for sort of these drugs. How fast are we talking?
>> Well, the president, Tom, was asked that exact question. He made sure to highlight that this is still going through the late stages of the advanced clinical trials to make sure these drugs are as safe as possible. Veterans groups that I talked to though, Tom, say this fast-tracking EO may lead to approval in the rescheduling process in a matter of months.
months. That would be huge. But I think the point to take away from this is that while this is still a substance under the Controlled Substances Act, meaning it has high potential for abuse, that professor that I talked to said, "Look, Americans are seeking these treatments anyway, oftentimes going out of the country to Mexico or South America."
Wouldn't it be safer if they could do it here under a controlled environment with scientists and doctors present?" Tom.
>> Okay, Julie Cirin for us. Julie, we thank you for that. We thank you for watching and remember, stay updated on breaking news and top stories on the NBC News app or watch live on our YouTube channel.
Analysis
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