Veterans Groups Push For Marijuana And Psychedelics Reform At Joint Congressional Hearing

Advocates for military veterans are putting pressure on Congress to free up access to marijuana and psychedelics as alternative treatment options, emphasizing the limitations of conventional medicines for addressing serious mental health conditions.

At a joint hearing of the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committees on Tuesday, two veterans service organizations (VSOs) submitted testimony voicing support for expanded access to the plant-based medicines.

Allison Jaslow, CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), told members of the committees that, amid the opioid overdose crisis, “many of us are eager to have alternatives to prescription drugs when treating our wartime wounds.”

“This includes greater access to cannabis treatments,” she said. “Currently, however, veterans who live in states where cannabis has been legalized completely are unable to even be prescribed cannabis for medicinal purposes by their doctor” at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Jaslow said IAVA is “looking forward” to the reintroduction of a bipartisan bill—the Marijuana Safe Harbor Act—that would temporarily allow veterans to legally possess and use cannabis under federal law, as recommended by doctors in accordance with state law. VA physicians would also be allowed for the first time to issue such recommendations.

Aside from that legislation, there have been veterans-focused cannabis measures already filed in the 119th Congress. That includes a bill sponsored by Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, whose Veterans Equal Access Act would similarly allow VA doctors to recommend medical marijuana to their patients in states where it’s legal.

IAVA further advised the committees that it’s been advocating for the completion of a federal marijuana rescheduling process that was initiated under the Biden administration. It’s a “call we hope members in this body can also support,” Jaslow said.

“IAVA members strongly support access to alternative therapies such as cannabis and while we understand that the administrative scheduling process involves several steps, the sooner the DEA moves forward with a reclassification of cannabis, the sooner it could potentially be integrated into the VHA—our nation’s largest healthcare system,” she said.

Representatives of both IAVA and Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW) also pushed for psychedelics research and access for veterans in their written testimony for the hearing.

Jaslow noted that while “most psychedelics are also not approved for use in mental health treatments” at this point, VA recently “decided to fund studies on the use of psychedelics in treating mental health conditions.”

“This came after years of a growing number of veterans hearing stories from fellow vets about the game-changing effects of this breakthrough mental health therapy,” she said. “Many veterans are so bought in on psychedelic treatments that they’ve left the country at their own expense to get this care.”

“Whether it’s cannabis or psychedelics, the data makes clear that our generation of veterans is ready to try more alternative therapies to treat everything from chronic pain to PTSD,” she added. “We just need our elected leaders to help make it possible.”

Mitch Fuller, chairman of VFW’s national legislative committee, told the joint panel in response to a question about alternative therapies from Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH) that his organization is “advocating for more access to other alternative modalities so we can address mental unique mental and physical health challenges.”

“These include psychedelics such as MDMA, psilocybin, ibogaine, ketamine infusion and cannabis—which includes medical marijuana and hemp-derived consumables which were made legal by the 2018 federal Farm Bill,” he said.

“We asked the VA to give veterans every option in the toolbox. Move beyond merely studying the effectiveness of these tools, and if they work—and we’re confident that they do—start executing the implementation of these options,” Fuller said. “The pharmaceutical cocktail as the loan default option causes harm for many of us in this room and those that are watching. This must end. Our lives are at stake.”

VFW’s commander-in-chief, Alfred Lipphardt also shared his organization’s perspective on drug policy reform in written testimony, pointing out that some veterans “are choosing alternative approaches to treatment for PTSD,” including marijuana, ketamine, LSD and MDMA.

“The VFW believes that if there are additional treatments that can effectively treat PTSD, then VA should receive funding to research those treatments and, if found beneficial, we would urge the rescheduling of those substances to help treat mental health issues and hopefully lower suicide rates,” he said.

Other VSOs also addressed marijuana and psychedelics policy with the bicameral committees at previous hearings last month, urging lawmakers to continue to explore the alternative therapeutic options and expedite access if they’re proven to be efficacious.

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Image element courtesy of Kristie Gianopulos.