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Top VA Official Says RFK’s Psychedelics Stance Is ‘Very Encouraging’ For Reform Under Trump Administration

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A top U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) official says it’s “very encouraging” that President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the nation’s top health agency, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., supports psychedelics reform—and he hopes to work with him on the issue if he stays on for the next administration.

VA Under Secretary for Health Shereef Elnahal said that while he hasn’t been asked to continuing serving under Trump, he’d be “honored” to do so in order to “advance the agenda for veterans.”

Part of that agenda involves promoting psychedelics research to investigate whether there are alternative treatment options for veterans with severe mental health conditions. And to that end, Elnahal said Kenndy’s embrace of psychedelics reform may hopefully come into play.

“The public statements from Bobby Kennedy on this have been very encouraging,” he told Politico.

“I really appreciate Bobby Kennedy’s approach to trying to instill wellness as a bigger part of American life—I think veterans would benefit from that,” Elnahal said of Trump’s choice to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). “When it comes to breakthrough therapies for mental health and tackling veteran suicide, psychedelics fall straight into that agenda.”

“The only way to do that is to boldly approach this with more research and to give veterans access to this kind of therapy here at home,” Elnahal added. “You shouldn’t have to travel to Mexico. You shouldn’t have to travel to Costa Rica. We really need a line of sight into this type of therapy to make sure that it’s effective.”

“The incoming administration has the right mindset on developing that evidence and delivering it safely to veterans,” he said.

In November, the VA official separately touted the first agency-funded psychedelics study since the 1960s, exploring the efficacy of MDMA-assisted therapy for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder.

“Specifically, that study will use low-dose MDMA in the placebo arm in an attempt to address [the Food and Drug Administration’s] concerns about patients knowing what study arm they’re part of—addressing ‘functional unblinding’ will get the scientific community one step closer in better assessing the efficacy and safety of this novel therapy,” he said at the time.

The VA official also noted that he recently spoke about the issue with Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI)—co-founder of the Congressional Psychedelics Advancing Clinical Treatments (PACT) Caucus—as well as former Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) at a separate psychedelics conference. That conversation centered around “what the future holds for getting more access to this potentially game-changing therapy,” Elnahal said.

VA “must lead on this encouraging area of investigation so that we can continue to build trust with Veterans contending with these severe health conditions. And we will,” he said.

Whether Elnahal will continue serving after the next administration takes shape in the coming weeks is uncertain.

Trump announced his intent to nominate former Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA) to head up the VA—a choice that raises questions about how the agency might navigate marijuana issues given his prior record of voting against medical cannabis access for military veterans during his time in Congress. But it doesn’t appear he’s publicly weighed in on psychedelics policy.

In any case, Elnahal’s comments focus on Kennedy, who would have the chance to advance major drug policy reforms he’s championed such as promoting access to psychedelics therapy and reshaping federal marijuana laws if he’s ultimately confirmed.

Kennedy followed a dizzying path to the Trump administration, entering the 2024 presidential election as a Democratic candidate before switching to independent as he lagged in the polls and then eventually endorsing the GOP nominee. Along that path, he stood out in part for his drug policy platform, which involved legalizing and taxing certain psychedelics in addition to cannabis.

In October, Kennedy specifically criticized FDA 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.

Not everyone shares Elnahal’s enthusiasm for Kennedy as the potential HHS secretary, however. Author Michael Pollan, for example, said recently that Trump’s pick could prove “very dangerous” to the psychedelics movement—even though he is a supporter of reform.

He said the prospective nominee might pursue federal reform in a way that delegitimizes the science behind substances such as psilocybin.

“The fact that someone this high up in this administration is supportive of psychedelic-assisted therapy is encouraging in one way,” he said. “But in another, I think it could be very dangerous to the movement, because if the science of psychedelics gets tangled up with the anti-science agenda around vaccines or fluoride, that could do long-term damage to psychedelics.”

Pollan was referring to Kennedy’s controversial anti-vaccine views and position that fluoride should not be added to the water supply based on conspiratorial beliefs about its health impacts.

By contrast, Rick Perry—a former governor of Texas who also served in the first Trump administration—recently said the president-elect’s choices for key health policy positions, including Kennedy, are a “great gift” for the psychedelics reform movement, particularly as it concerns access to ibogaine as a treatment option for serious mental health conditions.

Kennedy also shares a pro-reform perspective with other prospective nominees such as his pics for director of national intelligence, former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D/R-HI), and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) heads Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.

Meanwhile, Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) recently urged FDA to finalize guidance on conducting clinical trials into psychedelics to facilitate research, including investigations focusing on the potential benefits of substances such as MDMA and psilocybin for military veterans.

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Photo courtesy of Dick Culbert.

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