Military Veterans Groups Push Congress To Expedite Psychedelics Research And Support Medical Marijuana Access

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) should continue to explore psychedelics and medical marijuana therapy and expedite access to such alternative treatments if they’re proven to be efficacious, representatives of leading veterans service organizations (VSOs) told members of Congress this week.

One key group testified that the scheduling of substances like cannabis, psilocybin and MDMA as Schedule I drugs is a “major barrier” to therapeutic access.

At joint hearings before the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committees on Tuesday and Wednesday, lawmakers took testimony from the VSOs—and one theme that emerged was the need to support research and access for marijuana and psychedelics, particularly as it concerns VA.

Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI), co-chair of the Congressional Psychedelics Advancing Therapies (PATH) Caucus, asked Disabled American Veterans (DAV) National Commander Daniel Contreras what role he felt VA should play in “advancing the promising field in that area of [psychedelic] medicine through research.”

Contreras said it’s DAV’s position that “we should look at alternatives.” He added that he’s personally familiar with the issue in part because psilocybin has been incorporated into his own wife’s therapy, which underscores for him that “there needs to be some alternative choices.”

Joy Ilem, national legislative director of DAV, followed up, advising the committees that “we want to make sure the research is available and that VA can expedite that to the field as soon as—as long as it’s efficacious and it can benefit veterans.”

Bergman concluded by saying that “we should not discount anything just because we don’t understand it. That’s how we get better.”

In written testimony submitted ahead of Tuesday’s hearing, DAV said that in addition to supporting legislation “directing the VA to research and make available effective psychedelic compounds for treating mental health conditions and traumatic brain injury,” it also backs federal research into the “medical efficacy of cannabis for treatment of service-connected disabled veterans.”

Another VSO, the American Legion, submitted testimony for Wednesday’s hearing noting that it “continues to observe advances in research for emerging therapies, including psilocybin, cannabis, ketamine, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and ibogaine.”

“MDMA and psilocybin are actively being researched as a treatment for post-traumatic stress by VA,” American Legion’s James LaCoursiere said. “Ketamine therapy has been authorized for medical use within specific facilities, cannabis has been decriminalized and legalized in multiple states, and a study on active-duty participants utilizing MDMA has been authorized.”

“But the major barrier in these therapies is the scheduling of the drugs,” he said, adding that psilocybin has already been designated as a “breakthrough therapy” by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“The American Legion urges Congress to pass legislation allowing for educational research studies and FDA-approved studies on specific drugs shown to have a positive effect on the recovery and treatment of mental health conditions,” he said.

—
Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.

Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.
—

Meanwhile, the VSO Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) also discussed “emerging treatments” that it wants Congress and VA to examine, including psychedelic therapy that could “offer new possibilities for treating [substance use disorder] and chronic pain while addressing comorbid mental health conditions.”

“Emerging treatment modalities for PTSD, such as psychedelic assisted therapies, have the potential to advance PSTD treatment from a ‘one-size fits all approach’—which has been proven to not be effective for all—to an individualized model of care where the treatment plan is tailored to the needs of each unique veteran and augmented based on symptomology and responsiveness to treatment,” WWP CEO Lt. Gen. Walter Piatt (Ret.) said.

“MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD in particular has shown great promise in multiple studies and is safe when used in clinical trials,” he said. “However, access to those seeking these types of emerging modalities is extremely limited—forcing veterans to pursue care outside of the country, and at times, using unsafe avenues. VA can and should be a leader in this space.”

He also referenced VA’s recently announced $1.5 million investment into a study exploring MDMA-assisted therapy for veterans with PTSD and alcohol use disorder

“This research is vital to forwarding research and access to innovative therapies; however, the field still has fundamental questions to answer. Based on multiple factors like veteran demand, provider availability, and cost, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) will not be able to provide care to all who seek MDMA-assisted therapy after FDA approval. While several VA locations are primed to provide this modality of treatment on a limited basis as potential psychedelic treatment centers, we know the need for treatment has the potential to overwhelm the system, further straining capacity. As such, we are committed to helping advance further research to help bring safe, effective treatments to market – and scale.”

WWP also voiced support for specific pieces of congressional legislation, including a bipartisan bill directing the Department of Defense to carry out studies into the therapeutic potential of certain psychedelics to treat serious mental health conditions.

Another bill, the Veterans CARE Act, “would require VA to conduct research on the efficacy and safety of medicinal cannabis for veterans experiencing chronic pain or diagnosed with PTSD,” the organization said.

“WWP is invested and engaged in this area and encourages support for these efforts and others of their kind,” it said.

Marijuana Possession Would Be Decriminalized In Texas Under Lawmaker’s New Bill