Rep. Jack Bergman (R-Mich.) announced Tuesday that "the time is now" to push for breakthroughs in psychedelic treatments, seizing on President Trump's recent support for the field. Speaking at The Hill's "Rethinking Psychedelic Treatment for America's Mental Health Crisis" event, sponsored by Definium Therapeutics, Bergman - co-founder and co-chair of the Congressional Psychedelics Advancing Therapies (PATH) Caucus - expressed "excitement" over an executive order issued last month that encourages more people to take the "risk" of researching psychedelic drugs.
Trump's order directs the Food and Drug Administration to expedite review of new treatments, specifically targeting veterans struggling with anxiety and depression. "I'm product agnostic … I'm interested in outcomes," Bergman said, adding that the order's lifespan is tied to Trump's term. "So, that's why the time is now to get the ball rolling, to see some breakthroughs. It's not the time to sit around and 'Well no we can just delay a little longer.' If you're that person, we're coming after you. Ok, you need to be doing something else for a living."
Interest in psychedelic drugs for mental health has grown immensely, with substances like psilocybin, ketamine, and ibogaine emerging as candidates for treatment-resistant depression and PTSD. Bergman emphasized that the drug itself is only part of the equation: "We have to have the centers set up and we have to have the therapists trained and ready to administer the protocols." To that end, he introduced the Innovative Therapies Centers of Excellence Act with Rep. Lou Correa (D-Calif.), which would direct the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish at least five centers dedicated to researching MDMA, ibogaine, and ketamine.