Turn on, tune in, cash out … The US right used to fear psychedelics. Now it wants to sell them | Kojo Koram

Illustration: Guardian Design/Anaïs Mims/GettyView image in fullscreen Illustration: Guardian Design/Anaïs Mims/GettyOpinionDrugs policyTurn on, tune in, cash out … The US right used to fear psychedelics. Now it wants to sell themKojo KoramHallucinogens have come a long way from the 60s counterculture to Trump’s White House – propelled by veterans’ lobbying and Silicon Valley capitalKojo Koram’s new book, The Next Fix: Winners and Losers in the Future of Drugs, is out on 4 JuneTue 28 Apr 2026 10.00 EDTLast modified on Tue 28 Apr 2026 10.08 EDTShareOn 13 May 1966, a US Senate subcommittee questioned a former Harvard clinical psychologist, considered by many to be “the most dangerous man in America”, on the risks of psychedelics. Leading the inquisition of Dr Timothy Leary was Senator Ted Kennedy, of America’s unofficial first family. Amid a series of questions that reflected the moral panic about psychedelics then gripping the US establishment, Kennedy asked: “This is a dangerous drug – is that right?” To which Leary replied: “No, sir. LSD is not a dangerous drug.” Kennedy remained unconvinced. To the committee of politicians listening to Leary, psychedelics were behind the hippy movement, anti-war protests and the general breakdown of society.Earlier this month, almost exactly 60 years after this tense inquiry, Ted Kennedy’s nephew Robert F Kennedy Jr stood behind Donald Trump as he signed a new presidential executive order to accelerate mainstream access to medical treatment based on psychedelic drugs. A particular focus is ibogaine, a psychoactive compound derived from a West African shrub, which scientists suggest can be effective for treating chronic mental-health problems. Kennedy Jr has been the champion of psychedelics within the Maga coalition, alongside figures such as the podcaster Joe Rogan, who stood beside him in the Oval Office on 18 April. Rogan described to the press how he had encouraged the president to sign the executive order over text message.View image in fullscreenRobert F Kennedy Jr, Donald Trump and Joe Rogan at an executive order signing regarding psychedelics in the White House, 18 April 2026. Photograph: Allison Robbert/Pool/CNP/ShutterstockThis executive order has not come out of the blue. It reflects a shift in the image of psychedelics that has been happening for some time. Long caricatured as a marker of countercultural decadence, psychedelics have been rebranded by recent clinical research as potentially transformative mental-health treatments, helping patients suffering with issues such as depression, PTSD and suicidal ideation, and attracting unexpected new supporters. In 2023 Rick Perry, the former ultra-conservative governor of Texas turned psychedelics evangelist, argued that when it comes to legalisation of psychedelics, “at the federal level, this is more supported by the Republicans” than the Democrats. Psychedelics, once the preserve of anti-war lefties, have become a healthcare innovation backed by a warmongering rightwing president.What has changed between the 60s, when psychedelics were feared by the American right, and today? First, scientific research into their therapeutic potential has meant that even traditionally conservative communities in the US, such as military veterans, are now throwing their weight behind calls to reform the laws on psychedelics. Veterans groups have spent years lobbying for the use of psychedelics to help address post-traumatic stress issues, and recently even…

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