Is the White House wobbling on psychedelics?
The next few weeks could be critical for the field
Compass Pathways, the psilocybin medicine company, just reported positive results from its second Phase 3 trial, sending its stock price rising 30% this week and raising $150 million through a new share offering.
It should have done enough to file a successful application with the FDA later this year to become the first FDA-approved classical psychedelic drug company.
Right? Riiiiight?
Or could political obstructions throw a wrench into the works at this late stage?
I hear rumblings that some figures in or connected to the White House might be opposed to the idea of legalizing psychedelic drugs, even as medicine. Certain forces may be trying to block the various psychedelic start-ups currently circling the FDA and requesting permission to land.
It seemed a year ago that there was a unique political opportunity to advance psychedelics in DC. Robert F. Kennedy Junior, Secretary of Health and Human Services, said in July he wanted to get psychedelic drug treatments approved within 12 months. Marty Makary, head of the FDA, said getting psychedelic therapy to veterans with PTSD was a ‘top priority for the FDA’. Secretary of Veteran Affairs Doug Collins spoke warmly of psychedelics on a podcast. There were various pro-psychedelic appointees at HHS.
But now there is an eery official silence around psychedelics in DC. This month there was a two-hour MAHA event on mental health featuring RFK, Marty Makary and Dr Oz. There was a lot about ‘faith-based healing’, not a word about psychedelics.
Meanwhile, news emerged this month that someone in the White House vetoed Compass Pathways’ application for a Special Voucher for express approval of its application.
As Melissa Lavasani of the Psychedelic Medicine Coalition told journalist Mattha Busby: “MAGA are not very pro-psychedelics, and they are much more behind the scenes in the White House. I think a lot of folks have been riding the high of having these [HHS] appointees being on the record supporting [psychedelic reform], but there’s still some barriers to overcome.” For some MAGA figures, according to Lavasani, even medical approval of psychedelic treatments ‘is a bridge too far’.
Behind the scenes discussions in the next few weeks could be critical for the future of the industry. Can the MAGA sceptics be reassured? What precisely are their concerns? Could they really veto every single one of the eight or more psychedelic drug companies preparing to file FDA applications? It seems unlikely. I mean…these aren’t vaccine companies after all. But this administration can pull surprises.
For the fledgling psychedelic industry, the nightmare of history is at risk of repeating itself – the trauma of the 70s shut-down, then MDMA’s illegalization in the 1990s, then President Biden getting cold feet over the ill-fated ‘federal psychedelic task-force’. Could MAGA hard-liners really ruin all the hard work that researchers have put in, all the millions invested, even after Trump personally intervened to approve Spravato and rescheduled marijuana?
Surely…now…is….the….time?
Personally, I am not the loudest cheerleader for psychedelics – I’ve spent the last four years working to highlight and reduce the risks and harms from these powerful substances. But even I think we may have reached the moment where there’s enough research to support a careful roll-out of some of these medical treatments.
I can see four possible reasons White House figures could be getting jumpy around approval of psychedelic drugs this year – and some responses the psychedelic industry could give the White House, should the situation arise.
The four possible reasons: 1) The Christian Right’s fears over mind-altering drugs. 2) Right-wing concerns about the ‘psychedelic movement’. 3) MAGA concerns about RFK Junior running for president in 2028. 4) Johnson & Johnson wanting to protect its blockbuster drug, Spravato.
More after the paywall on these possible reservations, and possible responses to them.
