President Donald Trump’s pick for U.S. surgeon general, Dr. Casey Means, is drawing national attention for her outspoken support of psychedelic therapy, including psilocybin-assisted treatment, which remains illegal under federal law.
Dr. Casey Means.
Dr. Means, a wellness influencer with a background in medicine, was recommended by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Trump admitted he wasn’t familiar with her personally but said he made the nomination because Kennedy “thought she was fantastic.”
In her 2024 book Good Energy, Means encouraged readers to consider psilocybin-assisted therapy. “Strong scientific evidence suggests that this psychedelic therapy can be one of the most meaningful experiences of life for some people, as they have been for me,” she wrote.
She also shared her personal experience with the drug in 2021: “Psilocybin can be a doorway to a different reality that is free from the limiting beliefs of my ego, feelings, and personal history.”
Means has referred to psychedelics as “plant medicine,” and in a 2024 newsletter mentioned using them to “make space to find love at 35,” according to the Associated Press.
Psilocybin, the active compound in psychedelic mushrooms, is still considered a Schedule I substance under federal law, meaning it has no recognized medical use and a high potential for abuse. Despite this, both Oregon and Colorado have legalized limited forms of psychedelic therapy, and New Mexico recently legalized medical psilocybin.
She has also praised MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, for its potential to treat PTSD.
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