Veterans Groups Urge Congress To Expand Psychedelics And Marijuana Access To Mitigate Suicide Crisis

Multiple veterans groups advised congressional lawmakers about the need to
continue exploring psychedelics and marijuana as alternative treatment
options for the military veteran population at recent hearings on Capitol
Hill. And one veterans advocate cited his experience attending President
Donald Trump’s Oval Office signing event for a cannabis rescheduling order
as an example of progress in the fight for such alternatives.

At a series of joint hearings before the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs
Committees last month and this week, representatives of veterans service
organizations (VSOs) testified about the need to promote innovative
approaches in mental health treatment, in part to help mitigate the suicide
crisis that’s disproportionately impacted those who’ve served.

Dan Wiley, national commander of the American Legion, said on Wednesday
that the organization’s “number one priority” is “ending veteran suicide,”
which involves finding alternatives to conventional therapies because
“pills and therapy have objectively not worked.”

“We need stronger transition programs, innovative therapies and improved
safeguards to medication management,” he said, while going out of his way
to add that, after a decade with the American Legion, “I was proud to be in
the Oval Office as the president signed an executive order that
reclassified cannabis as a Schedule III drug.”

“This allows for federal research on how it can reduce drivers of suicide,”
he said. “Now the American Legion does not support use of illegal drugs,
but we strongly support research that could result in new, effective
treatments.”

President Donald Trump signed the executive order Wiley referenced in
December, directing the attorney general to expeditiously move marijuana
from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).
That has yet to happen, however, so cannabis remains strictly prohibited
under federal law.

“It’s no secret that, for far too long, doctors have prescribed opioids,
which are destructive and addictive to our veterans—and the American
Legion, by resolution, supports alternative therapies,” Wiley said later in
the hearing. He then echoed his prior point about the importance of
cannabis rescheduling to that end.

The need for alternatives is “one of the reasons why we were proud to be in
the Oval Office on December the 18th, when the president signed the
executive order reclassifying cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III,” he
said.

Also on Wednesday, representatives of the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP)
addressed the joint committee, providing members with testimony that
emphasized the urgency of expanding research into “innovative and emerging
therapies” by investing in “new treatment approaches that provide
personalized, effective care for mental health and substance use disorders,
including psychedelic-assisted therapy.”

A piece of “priority legislation” that could help achieve that goal, WWP
said, is the “Innovative Therapies Centers of Excellence Act,” which would
providing annual funding to establish psychedelics-focused “centers for
excellence” at VA facilities, where veterans could receive novel treatment
involving substances like psilocybin, MDMA and ibogaine.

“Despite significant investments in care, outreach, and awareness across
the public, private, and non-profit sectors, ending veteran suicide remains
tragically elusive,” the group said. “While risk factors including combat
trauma, SUD, and transition stress abound within the veteran community,
there are indeed ‘anchors of hope including notable declines in suicide
rates among veterans receiving VA health care for anxiety (-40.4 percent),
depression (-43.9 percent), PTSD (-34.9 percent), and alcohol use disorder
(-16.3 percent).”

“With more research and commitment, psychedelic assisted therapy—provided
within U.S. borders and through VA—can become the next beacon of light for
those hoping to overcome their mental health struggles,” WWP said.

“High dropout rates from traditional outpatient mental health care,
treatment-resistant diagnoses, and a one-size fits all approach to care are
among many factors driving WWP and others to call for accelerated access to
evidence-based mental health treatments, expanded psychedelic research, and
the elimination of policy barriers that prevent veterans from getting the
care they deserve. Direct appropriations to the National Institutes of
Health, VA, and DoD for psychedelic assisted therapy addressing
difficult-to-treat conditions in veterans and Service members can drive
action across the federal system.”

The group added that while the most “effective solutions” will involve
working with agencies like the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that are responsible for drug scheduling
decisions, “Congress can make a downpayment on progress by passing the
Innovative Therapies Centers of Excellence Act.”

“This important legislation would require VA to designate at least five
‘innovative therapies centers of excellence’ and direct them to conduct
research on the safety and efficacy of innovative therapies including MDMA,
psilocybin, ibogaine, and ketamine as treatments for PTSD, anxiety,
depression, bipolar disorder, chronic pain, Parkinson’s disease, PTSD, and
SUD,” WWP said in testimony for the hearing.

“Upon establishing the centers of excellence, VA would then be required to
submit a report to Congress on its findings and recommendations to improve
the delivery of innovative therapies to veterans. While VA has recently
expanded its psychedelic-assisted therapy trials and commitment to
additional research, centers of excellence have the potential to confirm
the agency’s prioritization of exploring these encouraging new approaches
and to create a foundational home for more investment to bring
evidence-based, safe, and efficacious treatments to veterans sooner.
Success here can also drive further exploration into pilot programs at VA
that could, for instance, allow for collaboration with academic medical
centers with experience in psychedelic research to operate under modified
Food and Drug Administration pathways.”

Carol Whitmore, commander-in-chief of Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), spoke
to the issue in written testimony ahead of a joint committee hearing on
Tuesday, referencing federal survey data showing that younger veterans “use
marijuana and hallucinogens at significantly higher rates than older
veterans, reflecting both changing attitudes toward alternative therapies
and persistent gaps in treatment effectiveness for younger service members.”

“As a result, some veterans are actively seeking alternative treatment
modalities outside traditional VA frameworks,” she said.

VFW also specifically noted the potential of MDMA-assisted therapy, which
research indicates may be associated with “increased emotional regulation,
reduced fear responses, and enhanced processing of traumatic memories.”

“Research in these areas is accelerating,” the veterans group said,
referencing work that’s underway at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA),
National Institutes of Health and U.S. Department of Veterans (VA).
“However, VA still lacks sufficient resources, statutory authority, and
infrastructure to study these options at scale.”

“With nearly 2.5 million veterans seeking mental health care through VA, it
is uniquely positioned to lead the nation in developing next-generation
PTSD treatments. The VFW urges Congress to pass the Innovative Therapies
Centers of Excellence Act of 2025, which would establish five specialized
VA medical centers dedicated to evaluating and advancing cutting-edge
therapies, including stellate ganglion block, hyperbaric oxygen therapy,
ketamine infusion, MDMA-assisted therapy, medical cannabis, and other
emerging treatments. Creating these centers of excellence would allow VA to
standardize research, accelerate clinical innovation, and expand treatment
options for veterans who have not found relief through traditional
therapies.”

Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) emphasized his own interest in promoting
alternative therapies, and VFW’s Whitmore told the senator at the hearing
that veterans “should not have to start over,” and there are “so many
different modalities that the VFW would like Congress to look at [such as]
hyperbaric treatment and medical cannabis.”

“There are many different things that can be done. A veteran doesn’t want
another pill thrown at them,” she said.

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) also provided written
testimony for Tuesday’s hearing, briefly noting that “interest in
understanding alternative therapies, such as psychedelics, to address
underlying drivers of suicidality has become increasingly popular in policy
and veteran circles, yet more research is needed to fully understand their
effectiveness.”

Last week, Disabled American Veterans’s (DAV) Coleman Nee urged committee
members in written testimony to prioritize the “unique needs of the veteran
population,” which includes recognizing the “importance of alternative and
emerging therapies, such as psychedelics, which have shown promise in being
more effective than traditional methods.”

“By exploring and implementing these innovative treatments, we can better
support the mental health and well-being of veterans,” he said.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), a proponent of psychedelics and cannabis reform,
specifically asked about alternative therapies at an in-person hearing late
last month, and Nee told the lawmaker that he’s personally a “huge
believer” in the potential of novel treatment options.

“I’ve used alternative and naturalistic therapies for my own disabilities.
We’ve done a significant amount of work on that and, in fact, we’ve done a
significant amount of research,” he said, turning to DAV’s Jon Retzer for
additional input.

“We really appreciate alternative options [and] research on psychedelics,”
Retzer said.

The VSO testimony comes as U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. reiterates his own interest in
expanding psychedelics access, telling Joe Rogan on a recent podcast
episode that the Trump administration is “very anxious” to create a pathway
for the novel therapies and that top officials across federal agencies want
to “get it out to the public as quickly as possible.”

Meanwhile, in November, Kennedy, Vice President JD Vance, the FDA
commissioner and other Trump administration officials attended a “Make
America Healthy Again” summit that featured a session dedicated to
exploring psychedelic medicine.

In June, Kennedy said his agency is “absolutely committed” to expanding
research on the benefits of psychedelic therapy and, alongside of the head
of FDA, is aiming to provide legal access to such substances for military
veterans “within 12 months.”

The secretary also said in April that he had a “wonderful experience” with
LSD at 15 years old, which he took because he thought he’d be able to see
dinosaurs, as portrayed in a comic book he was a fan of.

Last October, Kennedy specifically criticized FDA under the prior
administration over the agency’s “suppression of psychedelics” and a
laundry list of other issues that he said amounted to a “war on public
health” that would end under the Trump administration.

*Photo elements courtesy of carlosemmaskype and Apollo.*

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