We Tried to Get Trump to Back Psychedelic Therapy — Here’s What Happened
Before the recent psychedelic executive order, there was a quieter effort happening behind the scenes.
In this clip, I talk with Dr. Matt Johnson about a policy reform proposal we wrote ahead of the 2024 election—laying out a roadmap for how a future administration could expand access to psychedelic therapies, accelerate FDA approvals, and prioritize treatment for veterans struggling with PTSD, addiction, and depression.
We originally wrote the proposal without knowing who would win. Joe Rogan was kind enough to blast it on X for us at the time, attracting over 1.5 million views. After the election, we updated it directly for the incoming Trump administration—addressing key figures like RFK Jr., JD Vance, and others shaping health policy. We even met with Calley Means — a pivotal figure in this all behind-the-scenes — after the election and he was in full support of our vision.
The goal was simple: take what had been decades of promising research and translate it into real-world access.
As Matt explains in this conversation, meaningful change doesn’t happen from research alone—it requires people across science, media, and government playing their roles.
Now, with a historic executive order in place, it raises an interesting question:
How much of this moment was the result of long-term groundwork—and how much came down to the right ideas reaching the right people at the right time?
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