It’s gone from an idea widely mocked on Capitol Hill to one that enjoyed broad bipartisan support as part of the recently passed defense spending bill — and its supporters believe the change in attitude will save lives in the real world.
Tucked inside the massive $886 billion fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act signed by President Biden last month is a provision directing the Pentagon to study the effects of psychedelic-assisted therapy for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injuries, depression, insomnia, and other invisible wounds of war. The legislation directs the Defense Department to partner with federal and state government agencies or academic institutions, and it says that the Pentagon may “authorize any member of the armed forces serving on active duty who is diagnosed with a covered condition to participate in a clinical trial” using psychedelic-aided treatment.
The NDAA passed both the House and Senate with strong bipartisan support, underscoring the rapid shift seen on the issue in Congress and the broader American public over just the past several years. Proponents of such therapies say the inclusion of the provision in the NDAA is a watershed moment.
“Through embracing innovative approaches like clinical trials on psychedelic therapy to address PTSD, supporting [traumatic brain injury] research and incorporating other vital provisions, this legislative milestone marks a significant stride in our ongoing battle,” said Amber Capone, co-founder of Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions, or VETS, an organization that aims to attack the epidemic of veteran suicides by offering alternative treatments, including psychedelic-assisted therapy.
“Far too long, our veterans have silently borne the weight of trauma, but through the thorough study of psychedelic-assisted therapy, we now harbor a renewed sense of optimism to reverse this trend,” she said in a statement after the NDAA passed both chambers of Congress.
The therapies use natural psychedelic compounds such as Ibogaine, 5-MeO-DMT, Psilocybin and others. Proponents also point to positive results from therapies using MDMA — the potent stimulant popularly known as ecstasy, or, in crystal form, as “Molly.”
Such substances have been outlawed for recreational use for decades and have long been stereotyped as the marker of drug addicts and burnouts. But they’ve gained a second life as legitimate medical treatments, as numerous studies seem to show positive results and more and more people share anecdotal accounts of how the therapies helped them.
The central idea is that mind-altering drugs can open new pathways in the brain and help repair psychological and emotional damage.
Psychedelic-assisted therapies have been more easily accessible in other countries, though that’s slowly changing. This year, Oregon launched a state-run psilocybin program, the first of its kind in the U.S. There are other programs and clinical trials at academic institutions across the country.
The Veterans Affairs Department also has been studying the effects of psychedelic drugs for veterans suffering from PTSD and mental illness. But VA officials say that, before the passage of the new NDAA, government researchers needed to obtain waivers to conduct large-scale studies using banned or restricted substances, and had to fund their research through private donations rather than federal money.
The new law says that such research can now be conducted regardless of a substance’s classification under the Controlled Substances Act or Uniformed Code of Military Justice. The secretary of defense under the legislation must report to Congress for the next five years on institutions provided funding for the studies, the number of troops participating and the clinical trial results.
Growing support — and a warning
In Washington, the idea was mostly dismissed for years. Previous efforts to pass psychedelic-therapy legislation in the House failed, often by significant margins.
But lawmakers in both parties sensed that the cultural mood in the country was shifting. Earlier this year, Rep. Lou Correa, California Democrat, and Rep. Jack Bergman, Michigan Republican, launched the Congressional Psychedelics Advancing Therapies Caucus. The bipartisan caucus, whose members span the ideological spectrum in what is in most cases a sharply divided body, advocates for research into the benefits and potential drawbacks of psychedelic therapies.
At a press conference last July, Mr. Correa said it’s “shameful” that the U.S. lags behind other countries in providing the most effective, cutting-edge therapies for veterans.
“These veterans that fought for our country saw things no human being should see,” he said. “They come back to America and say, ‘Help us,’ and we say no. It’s against the law. Are you kidding me?”
Mr. Correa was joined at the press conference by Rep. Dan Crenshaw, Texas Republican, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York Democrat, all of whom signed on to the psychedelic provisions included in the NDAA.
“It is our moral responsibility as legislators to help members of our armed forces suffering from PTSD, as well as helping thousands of survivors of sexual assault, trauma, violence, and beyond,” Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said.
Mr. Crenshaw acknowledged that a “really wild coalition” had come together on the issue.
“There’s a lot of people in our country that could use effective treatments that are feeling hopeless right now,” he said at the July event. “That’s why you’re seeing this kind of bipartisanship.”
But some researchers urge caution. They warn that the rapid growth of psychedelic-assisted therapy — and the unbridled enthusiasm of its supporters — could create something of a speculative medical “bubble” that ultimately bursts with more research and more patients who don’t see the results they were promised.
“Until recently, this community has comprised researchers who were willing to accept the professional ramifications of working in a stigmatized area,” British scholars Tehseen Noorani and Jonny Martell wrote in a 2021 piece for the Frontiers in Psychiatry medical journal.
“While the early advocates of any new treatment can be expected to be enthusiastic, the interaction effects of any researcher bias with psychedelics’ sensitivity to the context of their use would contribute especially large outcome confounders, leading to limited replication of the early findings,” they warned.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse also continues to warn that abuse of drugs such as ecstasy and molly has been linked to high blood pressure, seizures and kidney failure. Users have also experienced negative long-term effects, including irritability, depression, anxiety and memory issues.
As time goes on, Mr. Noorani and Mr. Martell wrote, there may be “a growth in adverse outcomes as the hype grows, the participant/patient pool is widened, and psychedelic therapies are provided in more streamlined ways. Increasingly diverse patient populations hopeful of being cured will experience rocky ‘landings’ post-treatment, the cost of which will be borne downstream of trial analysis endpoints, thereby falsely inflating favorable health economic calculations.”
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.