Our Statement on Trump’s Executive Order: ACCELERATING MEDICAL TREATMENTS FOR SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS
People of Color Psychedelic Collective (POCPC) is a community-rooted advocacy and research organization dedicated to centering Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) in the development, delivery, and governance of psychedelic healing and exploration. Our mission is to advance evidence-based, culturally-grounded psychedelic uses while ensuring that those most impacted by health inequities shape—and benefit from—the policies and practices that emerge.
We acknowledge the Trump Administration’s recent policy shift, lowering legal barriers to psychedelic-assisted therapies. The Executive Order of April 18, 2026, however, only mentioned one particular substance by name—ibogaine derived from a powerful plant healer, Iboga (Tabernanthe iboga), a plant that holds documented significance within Bwiti spiritual traditions in Gabon and neighboring regions (Cameroon, Republic of the Congo), where it has been used in ceremonial, initiatory, and healing contexts for generations. This heritage is central to ibogaine’s availability and therapeutic uses. While we support rigorous, evidence-driven innovation that can reduce suffering from substance use disorder, trauma, and mental health conditions, we also wish to express our principled concerns about: (1) ibogaine’s extraction from its African spiritual context; (2) a historical pattern of Western appropriation of Indigenous plant medicines without commensurate benefit to source communities; (3) commercialization and patent claims that obviate traditional knowledge and constraints; (4) persistent underrepresentation of BIPOC in clinical trials, practitioner leadership, and other benefit-sharing; and (5) the risk that profit-driven models will limit access for communities of color. We urge an approach from the outset that aligns a potential policy shift with our serious concerns about justice and reciprocity.