Politics
American Legion Endorses Psychedelics Bill In Congress, Highlighting Potential Benefits For Military Veterans
The largest veterans organization in the U.S. is calling on Congress to pass a bill to promote research into the therapeutic potential of psychedelics by creating a new office focused on the issue in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
The American Legion, which represents more than 1.2 million members, adopted a resolution at its national convention earlier this month endorsing the Veterans Health Administration Novel Therapeutics Preparedness Act, which it said would “establish a dedicated VA Office of Novel Therapeutics and Centers of Excellence in each VA regional district to build the governance, workforce and clinical infrastructure required to responsibly deliver these therapies to eligible veterans.”
“Rapid-acting novel therapeutics” such as psychedelics like psilocybin “have demonstrated clinically significant results for treatment-resistant PTSD, anxiety, depression and co-occurring mental health conditions in peer-reviewed clinical trials, including U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) studies showing PTSD remission in two-thirds of participants—findings of a magnitude not previously achieved with any existing VA-approved treatment,” the resolution says.
The measure notes high suicide rates among veterans and says that “existing VA-approved treatments, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and trauma-focused therapies, fail to achieve sustained remission in the majority of veterans with combat-related PTSD and carry dropout rates of up to 40% in military populations, leaving a critical unmet clinical need.”
“The American Legion urges Congress to enact legislation establishing a dedicated federal coordinating framework to eliminate the bureaucratic barriers preventing timely veteran access to rapid-acting novel therapeutics with demonstrated clinical efficacy for mental health conditions and traumatic brain injury, including the establishment of a Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Office of Novel Therapeutics and Centers of Excellence at VA medical facilities, full funding for implementation and a directive to the secretary of Veterans Affairs to report within 90 days on the specific barriers causing the documented latency between U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorization and VA clinical implementation and the steps being taken to eliminate them; and further urges the Department of Veterans Affairs to immediately accelerate access to these therapies without waiting for the conclusion of full FDA licensure processes where interim pathways exist.”
Juliana Mercer, a Marine Corps veteran and past commander of the Montana American Legion Post 426, which initiated the resolution, told Military.com that passage of the measure “sends a powerful message from one of the nation’s largest and most influential veterans service organizations.”
“Veterans want continued research, responsible implementation and access to novel therapeutics that could fundamentally change how we treat some of the most difficult mental health conditions and traumatic brain injuries affecting our community,” she said. “The alignment we’re seeing between veterans, Congress and VA matters. Now we have an opportunity to turn that momentum into lasting change, continuing the research while building the workforce, infrastructure and systems necessary so that, if these treatments are approved, veterans can actually access them.”
The new VA Office of Novel Therapeutics contemplated by the bill that the American Legion is now backing would help to advance the development innovative treatments for serious mental health conditions and assist in reviewing the scheduling status of drugs like psilocybin, ibogaine and MDMA.
The legislation’s findings section says that “emerging therapeutic interventions, including certain psychedelic-assisted therapies under evaluation by the Food and Drug Administration as of the date of the enactment of this Act, may significantly alter the treatment landscape for post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and other mental health conditions affecting veterans.”
“The administration of certain emerging therapies may require intensive clinical engagement, interdisciplinary teams, dedicated clinical space, structured preparation, and post-treatment integration that differ substantially from traditional outpatient mental health services,” it continues, adding that VA is “uniquely positioned to deliver integrated, veteran-centered care that combines medical, mental health, and peer support services within a single system of care.”
That’s the only explicit mention of “psychedelics” in the bill, and it doesn’t list specific psychedelic substances that would be prioritized for research, but that’s a common feature of recently filed proposals touching on the issue, with various other examples using catchall terminology like innovative or novel treatments or therapies effectively serving as a stand-in for “psychedelics.”
Under the measure, a new Office of Novel Therapeutics would be established under the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to facilitate the research initiatives. Studies exploring the alternative treatments would focus on substances such as psychedelics that are under review for potential approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“Absent centralized governance and implementation planning, the Department may face delays, safety risks, or inconsistent access following regulatory approval of such therapies,” the bill’s findings section says. “Establishing a dedicated Office of Novel Therapeutics will ensure that the Department is prepared to responsibly evaluate, research, and implement emerging treatment modalities consistent with patient safety and evidence-based practice.”
There would be at least one “Center of Excellence” to facilitate the program in each VA regional district to help develop a national model for the initiative. A Veteran Advisory Committee would be established, comprised of veterans, experts and health professionals, to advise on matters such as access barriers and safety protocols.
VA would also need to coordinate with other federal agencies—including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), FDA, Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS), the Department of Defense (DOD) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)—to consider regulatory issues, possible rescheduling action for novel therapies and means of providing health care coverage for psychedelics access and treatment.
VA would need to furnish annual reports to Congress updating lawmakers on its progress. Within 180 days of the bill’s enactment, the department would need to report on practical considerations such as staffing needs and regulatory barriers.
The American Legion, for its part, cheered a psychedelics executive order that President Donald Trump signed earlier this year.
The veterans group has also regularly called for the federal rescheduling of marijuana, and its national commander appeared in the Oval Office last year when Trump signed a separate cannabis-focused executive order.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia/Workman.
