Politics
VA Secretary Tells Trump About Psychedelics’ Potential To Combat Military Veteran Suicide Crisis At Cabinet Meeting
The head of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) informed President Donald Trump during a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday that his agency is “opening up the possibility of psychedelic treatment” for military veterans.
After the president asked VA Secretary Doug Collins, a former Republican congressman, about what was being done to mitigate the veteran suicide crisis, the official noted that VA is working with nonprofit organizations and other agencies on a variety of initiatives.
That includes collaborating with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on “the idea of opening up the possibility of psychedelic treatment and others that give us an opportunity,” Collins said.
“We’ve got to research it and make sure it’s good, but it’s opening up that possibility,” he said. “And I think, again, veterans are understanding now that we’re putting them first.”
While Trump didn’t directly respond to the psychedelics component of Collins’s response, it was a noteworthy moment, with psychedelics medicine being discussed in a high-profile, televised meeting with the president and other Cabinet officials.
Earlier this week, Collins separately reiterated his commitment to exploring psychedelic therapy options for the veteran community in response to a X post from Matthew Buckley, chairman of the No Fallen Heroes Foundation.
“I cannot remember a single president publicly talking about veteran suicide or, for that matter, asking about it directly to the VA secretary in a cabinet meeting in front of the whole country,” Buckley told Marijuana Moment. “So to hear [Collins] respond and say nonprofits like No Fallen Heroes Foundation are currently doing this work to help heal our heroes was an incredible moment for me.”
This is what 5 years of relentless work looks like.
Monday, I posted on X (Twitter) criticizing the administration’s lack of visibility on the healing power of psychedelics for veterans in the first 100 days. I tagged the VA Secretary directly.
He replied. Thank you…
— Matthew ‘Whiz’ Buckley (@WhizBuckleyNFH) April 30, 2025
“I appreciate the words, but we need follow on action,” he added. “The VA and our government should live up to the promises made to the young men and women who answer the call to serve this great nation.”
Collins, for this part, disclosed earlier this month that he had an “eye-opening” talk with Kennedy about the therapeutic potential of psychedelic medicine. And he intends to press Congress to take action on the issue.
He also said that he’s open to the idea of having the government provide vouchers to cover the costs of psychedelic therapy for veterans who receive services outside of VA as Congress considers pathways for access.
In December, VA separately announced that it’s providing $1.5 million in funding to study the efficacy of MDMA-assisted therapy for veterans with PTSD and alcohol use disorder (AUD).
Last year, Rachel Yehuda, who has overseen some psychedelic research as director of mental health at VA’s James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center, also touted an initial study the agency funded that produced “stunning and robust results” from its first-ever clinical trial into MDMA therapy.
In January, former VA Under Secretary for Health Shereef Elnahal said that it was “very encouraging” that Trump’s pick to have Kennedy lead HHS has supported psychedelics reform. And he hoped to work with him on the issue if he stayed on for the next administration, but that didn’t pan out.
Meanwhile, advocates are also eager to see how Collins navigates marijuana policy issues at VA, which has historically resisted congressional efforts to reform rules around studying cannabis or authorizing government doctors to issue medical marijuana recommendations to veterans in legal states.
The official has a prior record of voting against medical cannabis access for military veterans during his time in Congress.
Separately, a GOP congressman recently cheered news that the Department of Defense (DOD) has allocated nearly $10 million in funding for research into the therapeutic potential of MDMA for active-duty military members.
Another Republican congressman has also expressed optimism about the prospects of advancing psychedelics reform under Trump, arguing that the administration’s efforts to cut spending and the federal workforce will give agencies “spines” to tackle such complex issues.
Image courtesy of Kristie Gianopulos.
