Trump’s VA Secretary Is ‘Particularly Proud’ Of Psychedelic Research...

The head of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) says he’s
“particularly proud” of the administration’s work to promote research into
psychedelics therapy, citing studies into substances into MDMA that show
promising early results in the treatment of mental health conditions that
commonly afflict the veteran community.

In a clip from an interview that VA Secretary Doug Collins shared on X on
Thursday, he said the department does “some of the best research work and
very specific research work.”

He said that while there are reports about cancelled research contracts
under the Trump administration, people shouldn’t read too far into that
because VA-funded studies are often on a “rotating basis” and others are
being funded “through other means or other assets.”

“We’re wanting to keep all of ours going,” Collins said. “One that I’m very
particularly proud of is our research into the psychedelic issue.”

The secretary noted that he recently visited a VA facility in New York City
“discussing MDMA therapies, which have been phenomenal in working with
those with [post-traumatic stress disorder] and traumatic brain
injuries—these other issues that we have.”

.@DeptVetAffairs research is breaking new ground in many fields, including
psychedelics. pic.twitter.com/9uSfT6TBfe

— VA Secretary Doug Collins (@SecVetAffairs) July 3, 2025

“I know there’s some others going on. There’s about 11 or 12 in the VA
right now,” he said. “So that’s the things that I see: Research being able
to provide not only help for veterans today, but also encouraging us to
find not only things that will help veterans of the future—but also that
will be helpful to the general public as well.”

“I believe that education is the magic bullet for all of us,” Collins said.
“The more we know, the better off we are. And I want to see that continue
to happen in the VA.”

Collins’s visit to the psychedelics research center came about a month
after the VA secretary met with a military veteran who’s become an advocate
for psilocybin access to discuss the therapeutic potential of psychedelic
medicine for the veteran community.

Collins also briefly raised the issue in a Cabinet meeting with President
Donald Trump in April.

The secretary also disclosed in April that he had an “eye-opening” talk
with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F.
Kennedy Jr. about the therapeutic potential of psychedelic medicine. And
Collins said he’s open to the idea of having the government provide
vouchers to cover the costs of psychedelic therapy for veterans who receive
services outside of VA as Congress considers pathways for access.

Kennedy said last month that his agency is “absolutely committed” to
expanding research on the benefits of psychedelic therapy and, alongside of
the head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is aiming to provide
legal access to such substances for military veterans “within 12 months.”

During a recent Senate committee hearing, Collins separately reiterated his
commitment to exploring the efficacy of psychedelic therapy to address
serious mental health conditions that commonly afflict military veterans.

Meanwhile in May, bipartisan congressional lawmakers asked the VA head to
meet with them to discuss ways to provide access to psychedelic medicine
for military veterans.

In a letter sent to Collins, Reps. Lou Correa (D-CA) and Jack Bergman
(R-MI)—co-chairs of the Congressional Psychedelic Advancing Therapies
(PATH) Caucus—said they were “encouraged by your recent remarks about the
importance of pursuing research into psychedelic treatments and other
alternative treatments to improve Veterans’ care.”

Correa and Bergman separately introduced a bill in April to provide $30
million in funding annually to establish psychedelics-focused “centers for
excellence” at VA facilities, where veterans could receive novel treatment
involving substances like psilocybin, MDMA and ibogaine.

Bergman has also expressed optimism about the prospects of advancing
psychedelics reform under Trump, arguing that the administration’s efforts
to cut spending and the federal workforce will give agencies “spines” to
tackle such complex issues.


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In December, VA separately announced that it’s providing $1.5 million in
funding to study the efficacy of MDMA-assisted therapy for veterans with
PTSD and alcohol use disorder (AUD).

Last year, VA’s Yehuda also touted an initial study the agency funded that
produced “stunning and robust results” from its first-ever clinical trial
into MDMA therapy.

In January, former VA Under Secretary for Health Shereef Elnahal said that
it was “very encouraging” that Trump’s pick to have Kennedy lead HHS has
supported psychedelics reform. And he hoped to work with him on the issue
if he stayed on for the next administration, but that didn’t pan out.

*Photo elements courtesy of carlosemmaskype and Apollo.*

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