White House Executive Order Validates Tennessee HOPE Treatment Act Framework as House Prepares to Act on Final Passage

Senate-passed HOPE Treatment Act awaits House action before the close of the legislative session.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Trump administration today issued an executive order, Accelerating Medical Treatments for Serious Mental Illness, directing federal agencies to expedite research and access to psychedelic therapies for serious mental illness, including ibogaine, and identifying veterans as a priority population.

The order arrives as the Tennessee House of Representatives prepares to take up The Helping Open Pathways to Effective (HOPE) Treatment Act (HB 2075 / SB 2149), sponsored by Sen. Page Walley and Rep. Bryan Terry. The Senate has already passed the bill. The House is expected to take it up before the close of the current legislative session. The bill, as amended, authorizes Tennessee research institutions to participate in FDA-supervised ibogaine clinical trials and multistate research consortia, and provides the state-law foundation necessary for Tennessee to engage with the federal research environment the executive order advances.

“Today’s executive order makes passage of the HOPE Treatment Act more essential, not less,” said Rikki Harris, CEO of TN Voices. “The potential of FDA-supervised ibogaine research is real, and the stakes are our veterans carrying invisible wounds, fellow Tennesseans fighting addiction, and families who have run out of options. We owe it to them to pursue every legitimate path forward. This executive order puts federal resources and a streamlined regulatory process behind that work, and the HOPE Treatment Act is how Tennessee research institutions participate. The Senate has done its part. We now urge the House to do the same.”

How the HOPE Treatment Act Aligns With the Executive Order

  • Authorizes FDA-supervised clinical trial participation. The bill authorizes Tennessee research institutions to participate in clinical trials and multistate research consortia involving ibogaine, if participation complies with applicable federal law, including a valid FDA investigational new drug (IND) authorization where required.
  • Permits participation in multistate research consortia. The bill expressly authorizes Tennessee hospitals, academic medical centers, and institutions of higher education with clinical research capacity to join multistate consortia conducting ibogaine research.
  • Confirms authority to receive research funding. The bill confirms that Tennessee research institutions may receive and administer federal, private, and philanthropic funding for the research it authorizes, a necessary foundation for Tennessee institutions to pursue federal research grants, participate in federally-supported clinical trials, and engage with the federal research infrastructure.
  • Requires physician supervision and patient-safety protocols. The bill requires that ibogaine be administered only within clinical trials conducted at hospitals or qualified research facilities, under the supervision of a physician licensed in Tennessee, with patient screening and safety protocols consistent with federal guidance.
  • Provides a state-law liability shield for compliant research. The bill provides that physicians, researchers, and research institutions participating in an ibogaine clinical trial in compliance with the chapter and applicable federal law are not subject to criminal liability under state controlled-substance laws solely for activities authorized under the chapter.
  • States legislative intent aligned with federal priorities. The bill expresses the General Assembly’s intent to encourage Tennessee-based research institutions to participate in federally authorized clinical trials and multistate research collaborations addressing opioid use disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and other serious conditions, which are the same categories of serious mental illness the executive order identifies as federal priorities.

A Clear Opportunity for Tennessee

The executive order prioritizes federal research partnerships for states advancing psychedelic research for serious mental illness. World-leading research institutions, including Stanford, Harvard, and Johns Hopkins, are already studying psychedelic therapies for these conditions. The HOPE Treatment Act ensures Tennessee’s hospitals and research institutions can participate in that work rather than remaining on the sidelines.

House passage of the HOPE Treatment Act provides the state-law foundation Tennessee institutions need to participate in the federal research environment — whether through multistate consortia, direct federal research grants, or partnership arrangements developed in future legislative sessions.

What the Executive Order Does

  • Allocates $50 million through the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to match state government investments in psychedelic research for serious mental illness.
  • Directs the FDA to issue National Priority Vouchers for qualifying psychedelic drugs with Breakthrough Therapy designation, the first time the agency has offered that fast-track to any psychedelic.
  • Establishes a Right to Try pathway for eligible patients to access investigational psychedelic drugs, including ibogaine, with DEA Schedule I handling authorizations for participating physicians and researchers.
  • Directs HHS, FDA, and VA to collaborate with the private sector to expand clinical trial participation and evidence generation, with veterans identified as a priority population.
  • Directs the Attorney General to initiate rescheduling reviews for psychedelic products upon successful completion of Phase 3 clinical trials and FDA approval.

The executive order notes that the suicide rate among American veterans remains more than twice that of the non-veteran adult population.

TN Voices’ Role in the HOPE Treatment Act

TN Voices has worked closely with the bill’s sponsors, veteran advocates, and the research and policy community throughout the current legislative session to advance the HOPE Treatment Act. The organization has supported the bill’s development, engaged legislators across the General Assembly, and built public understanding of what FDA-supervised ibogaine research could mean for Tennessee families, veterans, and patients who have exhausted conventional care. With the Senate’s passage of the bill and today’s federal action validating its framework, TN Voices urges the Tennessee House of Representatives to complete the work by passing HB 2075 and sending the HOPE Treatment Act to the Governor’s desk before the close of the current legislative session.

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