An advisory committee attached to the Puerto Rico Department of Health will deliver a preliminary report in November on the viability of clinical research into psychedelic "emerging therapies" on the island, but no funding source has yet been identified. Governor Jenniffer González Colón announced the committee in August and signed executive order OE-2026-37, creating the Scientific and Regulatory Advisory Committee to advise Health Secretary Víctor Ramos Otero on a pilot clinical research program in emerging therapies.
At the committee’s first meeting on October 13, two working groups were formed: one to define priority patients and another to identify priority drugs. The order names veterans as a priority population and mentions ibogaine, MDMA and psilocybin as substances still under scientific investigation. The plan is to seek a federal grant requiring a local match; a federal executive order signed by President Donald Trump in April allocates $50 million to support state programs and speeds FDA review of psychedelic compounds.
Washington University researcher Leopoldo J. Cabassa estimated each trial costs more than $1 million, involves fewer than 100 participants, and requires eight-hour dosing sessions. Rafael Torruella of Intercambios Puerto Rico welcomed the move but cautioned it should be guided by therapists and experienced organizations, not a government seeking revenue.