#366 - New US Executive Order Accelerates Drug Therapies | Mark E. Shaw#366 - New US Executive Order Accelerates Drug Therapies | Mark E. Shaw
The Addiction Connection Podcast
Dr. Mark E. Shaw walks through a US executive order and FDA actions promoting psychedelic therapies for serious mental illness and alcohol use disorder, questioning their safety and purpose. He contrasts these drug‑focused strategies with a biblical, Christ‑centred understanding of addiction and genuine change.
33:40•1 Jun 2026
Psychedelics, Policy and Alcohol Use Disorder: Mark Shaw’s Candid Take
Episode Overview
- Mark E. Shaw reviews a US executive order aimed at speeding up psychedelic drug therapies for serious mental illness and substance use disorders.
- He highlights that the policy effectively admits many existing psychiatric medications have failed to bring lasting improvement for large groups of people.
- Psychedelic options such as ibogaine are criticised for serious risks, including heart attacks, while vulnerable people are placed in clinical trials as “guinea pigs”.
- From a biblical counselling stance, he rejects a purely disease-based model and argues that misdiagnosing heart issues leads to ineffective treatments.
- He contrasts psychedelic use with Scripture’s call to a clear mind, repentance, faith in Christ and growth through the Holy Spirit and local church community.
“So that's the purpose and justification here: we don't know how in the heck to help people, and we keep telling them, well, take this medicine…and it's not helping them.”
What can we learn from those who have battled addiction? Here, Dr. Mark E. Shaw takes a hard look at a recent US executive order that fast-tracks psychedelic drug therapies for serious mental illness, depression and alcohol use disorder, and he does it with a mix of biblical conviction and dry humour. Rather than cheering on “breakthrough therapy”, he points out what he sees as the real headline: the government’s quiet admission that current psychiatric medications often aren’t working.
As he puts it, the order is essentially saying, “We don’t know how in the heck to help people,” while pushing for “a new drug” – psychedelic options like ibogaine that, he notes, have a known risk of heart attacks.
You’ll hear Mark read directly from the White House and FDA documents, pausing to highlight lines like the FDA’s warning that allowing clinical trials “does not mean the drug has been approved or found to be safe or effective.” He repeatedly raises concern that people with alcohol use disorder and treatment‑resistant depression are being treated “like guinea pigs” in the name of innovation and profit. For those interested in Christ‑centred recovery, the episode contrasts this approach with biblical counselling.
Mark argues that the core problem isn’t a complex disease but a misdiagnosed heart issue. He leans heavily on Scripture to frame psychedelic therapy as modern “witchcraft” tied to pharmakia, and stresses that God calls people to a clear mind, not a chemically altered one, for real change. Instead of microdoses and magic mushrooms, he points back to repentance, faith in Jesus, transformation through the Holy Spirit, and growth in community with a local church.
If you’re sober, struggling, or simply curious how faith-based counsellors view the rush toward psychedelic treatments, this conversation might make you pause and ask: whose definition of “help” are you trusting?
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