GOP hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy has been drawn into the center of drug policy debates for his stance on legalizing certain psychedelic drugs for treating post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health conditions.

"Forty-four U.S. veterans die by suicide every day," a spokeswoman for the Ramaswamy campaign told the Washington Examiner. "Vivek supports the decriminalization of ayahuasca, and ketamine, and certain psychedelics as a treatment for veterans suffering from PTSD, to prevent the devastating epidemic of fentanyl and suicide."

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Ramaswamy's position came to the forefront early this week because of a Fox News article alleging that Ramaswamy wants to legalize so-called "hard drugs" in addition to cannabis.

Ramaswamy responded to the article in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, calling the piece "more planted trash."

"It's pathetic that Establishment candidates are using lies as a substitute for a message," said Ramaswamy.

Psychedelic drugs have increasingly been touted as a treatment for PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and persistent depression. Exploring psychedelic treatment options for these conditions has even attracted bipartisan support in Congress.

In May, Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) introduced the Douglas Mike Day Psychedelic Therapy to Save Lives Act, H.R. 3684, which would require the Department of Defense to establish research grants for clinical studies to treat Armed Forces members diagnosed with PTSD or traumatic brain injury using certain psychedelic substances.

The bill has 14 co-sponsors, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who introduced a similar bill in 2019 to advance clinical studies of psychedelics across the population.

American clinical trials for MDMA, the chemical compound in ecstasy, have proved promising for treating several mental health and brain disorders, with some analysts suggesting that the Food and Drug Administration may approve MDMA for general use by the end of 2023. In July, Australia became the first country to approve MDMA for treating PTSD and psilocybin mushrooms for persistent depression.

DMT, the chemical compound in the psychedelic tea ayahuasca, is also listed in H.R. 3684 as a substance to be tested by the U.S. Armed Forces.

Although ketamine is not listed in H.R. 3684, the substance has been touted by several Silicon Valley elites, including Elon Musk, for its effectiveness in treating depression and anxiety.

Ramaswamy's position on drug legalization differs from others in the Republican Primary field for the 2024 election cycle, emphasizing the need to address the underlying social reasons why individuals turn to drugs like cannabis or fentanyl.

"I think that under-discussed in both parties ... is the demand side of this problem," Ramaswamy told libertarian Matt Kibbe at the Porcupine Freedom Festival in New Hampshire this June. "It's easy to point your finger at somebody else. It's a lot harder to ... take a long hard look in the mirror and ask ourselves, 'What is the mental health epidemic, the loss of purpose, the void of meaning in this country that results in people turning to [drugs]?'"

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Ramaswamy told Kibbe that he personally knew families who lost their children to deaths that might have been preventable if legal psychedelics could have provided an "alternative path."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new provisional data last week finding that suicide rates in the United States increased by 5% between 2021 and 2022, risking to 49,449 last year.