Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Rule Changes

Oversees SAMHSA, the agency that runs 988

Suicide rates among Americans aged 15 to 34 had climbed for more than a decade. The federal government replaced the 10-digit crisis lifeline with 988 in July 2022. A JAMA study published April 22, 2026 found that suicide deaths in that age group ran 11% below projections over the next two and a half years, an estimated 4,400 fewer deaths.

Updated 5 days ago

Rule Changes

Identified as key driver of the psychedelic executive order

For 55 years, the federal government classified psilocybin, MDMA, LSD, and ibogaine as Schedule I substances — drugs with no accepted medical use. On April 18, 2026, President Trump signed an executive order titled 'Accelerating Medical Treatments for Serious Mental Illness,' directing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to expedite clinical trials of those same substances for treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in veterans. The order, whose signing ceremony included podcaster Joe Rogan and former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell, was driven substantially by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. It makes $50 million in federal funding through the Advanced Research Projects for Health (ARPA-H) available for state-level ibogaine research — matched by state funds — and extends the Right to Try law to allow seriously ill patients to access psychedelics still under investigation. Within hours of the signing, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary announced that the agency would issue 'national priority' review vouchers for three psilocybin-class drugs, a first for any psychedelic substance, with decisions possible as early as summer 2026. The FDA also announced steps to clear the way for the first-ever US human trials of ibogaine.

Updated Apr 19