CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at speeding up research on several psychedelic drugs as potential treatments for major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The head of the Food and Drug Administration says the drugs may help address what he calls a national mental health crisis. And members of Charlotte’s psychedelic community say the move could expand treatment options for patients.
For 25 years, Logan Curtis says he struggled with anxiety, depression and panic attacks tied to childhood abuse.
“I carry a lot of these deep wounds with me,” Curtis said.
Curtis said he tried talk therapy and spent years on antidepressants, including SSRIs, but wanted more than simply managing symptoms.
“I don’t want to just exist,” Curtis said.
Three months ago, Curtis said he watched a documentary that opened his eyes to different treatments. It led him to Derive Health in Charlotte’s Dilworth neighborhood for ketamine treatments. Ketamine is currently the only legal psychedelic medicine in North Carolina and is used in clinical settings for conditions including treatment-resistant depression.
“So ketamine itself is a very safe medication, but it does do best with some medical monitoring or support,” said Dr. Jonathan Leake, who has treated patients with ketamine for a decade.
Leake said ketamine is administered by prescription through an IV over a series of sessions, with medical supervision and therapeutic support.
“You really are seeing people that have suffered, and then over six weeks, they’re kind of transforming before your eyes,” Leake said.
The FDA is now fast-tracking review of three other psychedelic drugs for PTSD, major depressive disorder and treatment-resistant depression, according to advocates tracking the federal actions. The president’s order would loosen research restrictions on psychedelics, including ibogaine.
Gina Giorgio, with the North Carolina Psychedelic Coalition, said the federal push could move approvals faster, but states will play a major role in how research and treatment are carried out.
“This expedites approval through the federal government, but it’s really the states that will be carrying out this type of research and this type of treatment,” Giorgio said. She added that building training protocols for therapists would be essential.
Giorgio said more study is still needed on safety and effectiveness, but she believes the policy shift broadens what could become available for patients who have not found relief through other treatments.
“We’re not saying that this is for everyone,” she said. “But we’re saying it should at least be an option if people are not experiencing relief elsewhere.”
If the drugs are found safe and effective, some approvals could come later this year. Any treatments would be administered in a clinical setting under medical supervision, not taken at home.
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