President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order encouraging research on the psychedelic ibogaine as a possible treatment for mental health challenges such as substance use disorder, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. This comes on the heels of over 220 psychedelic policy reform bills that have been introduced in the states over the last five years.

I authored one of those bills as a Republican and chairman of the Public Health Committee in the Mississippi House of Representatives. It was signed into law by Gov. Tate Reeves (R-MS) just weeks ago. The bill joins Mississippi with Texas in a budding national movement to gain Food and Drug Administration approval for ibogaine. Trump’s executive order is a welcome step forward for all of us concerned about mental health in this country.