Marijuana Moment: Veterans Groups Urge Congress To Expand Psychedelics And Marijuana Access To Mitigate Suicide Crisis

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Multiple veterans groups advised congressional lawmakers about the need to continue exploring psychedelics and marijuana as alternative treatment options for the military veteran population at recent hearings on Capitol Hill. And one veterans advocate cited his experience attending President Donald Trump’s Oval Office signing event for a cannabis rescheduling order as an example of progress in the fight for such alternatives.

At a series of joint hearings before the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committees last month and this week, representatives of veterans service organizations (VSOs) testified about the need to promote innovative approaches in mental health treatment, in part to help mitigate the suicide crisis that’s disproportionately impacted those who’ve served.

Dan Wiley, national commander of the American Legion, said on Wednesday that the organization’s “number one priority” is “ending veteran suicide,” which involves finding alternatives to conventional therapies because “pills and therapy have objectively not worked.”

“We need stronger transition programs, innovative therapies and improved safeguards to medication management,” he said, while going out of his way to add that, after a decade with the American Legion, “I was proud to be in the Oval Office as the president signed an executive order that reclassified cannabis as a Schedule III drug.”

“This allows for federal research on how it can reduce drivers of suicide,” he said. “Now the American Legion does not support use of illegal drugs, but we strongly support research that could result in new, effective treatments.”

President Donald Trump signed the executive order Wiley referenced in December, directing the attorney general to expeditiously move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). That has yet to happen, however, so cannabis remains strictly prohibited under federal law.

“It’s no secret that, for far too long, doctors have prescribed opioids, which are destructive and addictive to our veterans—and the American Legion, by resolution, supports alternative therapies,” Wiley said later in the hearing. He then echoed his prior point about the importance of cannabis rescheduling to that end.

The need for alternatives is “one of the reasons why we were proud to be in the Oval Office on December the 18th, when the president signed the executive order reclassifying cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III,” he said.

Also on Wednesday, representatives of the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) addressed the joint committee, providing members with testimony that emphasized the urgency of expanding research into “innovative and emerging therapies” by investing in “new treatment approaches that provide personalized, effective care for mental health and substance use disorders, including psychedelic-assisted therapy.”

A piece of “priority legislation” that could help achieve that goal, WWP said, is the “Innovative Therapies Centers of Excellence Act,” which would providing annual funding to establish psychedelics-focused “centers for excellence” at VA facilities, where veterans could receive novel treatment involving substances like psilocybin, MDMA and ibogaine.

“Despite significant investments in care, outreach, and awareness across the public, private, and non-profit sectors, ending veteran suicide remains tragically elusive,” the group said. “While risk factors including combat trauma, SUD, and transition stress abound within the veteran community, there are indeed ‘anchors of hope including notable declines in suicide rates among veterans receiving VA health care for anxiety (-40.4 percent), depression (-43.9 percent), PTSD (-34.9 percent), and alcohol use disorder (-16.3 percent).”

“With more research and commitment, psychedelic assisted therapy—provided within U.S. borders and through VA—can become the next beacon of light for those hoping to overcome their mental health struggles,” WWP said.

“High dropout rates from traditional outpatient mental health care, treatment-resistant diagnoses, and a one-size fits all approach to care are among many factors driving WWP and others to call for accelerated access to evidence-based mental health treatments, expanded psychedelic research, and the elimination of policy barriers that prevent veterans from getting the care they deserve. Direct appropriations to the National Institutes of Health, VA, and DoD for psychedelic assisted therapy addressing difficult-to-treat conditions in veterans and Service members can drive action across the federal system.”

The group added that while the most “effective solutions” will involve working with agencies like the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that are responsible for drug scheduling decisions, “Congress can make a downpayment on progress by passing the Innovative Therapies Centers of Excellence Act.”

“This important legislation would require VA to designate at least five ‘innovative therapies centers of excellence’ and direct them to conduct research on the safety and efficacy of innovative therapies including MDMA, psilocybin, ibogaine, and ketamine as treatments for PTSD, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, chronic pain, Parkinson’s disease, PTSD, and SUD,” WWP said in testimony for the hearing.

“Upon establishing the centers of excellence, VA would then be required to submit a report to Congress on its findings and recommendations to improve the delivery of innovative therapies to veterans. While VA has recently expanded its psychedelic-assisted therapy trials and commitment to additional research, centers of excellence have the potential to confirm the agency’s prioritization of exploring these encouraging new approaches and to create a foundational home for more investment to bring evidence-based, safe, and efficacious treatments to veterans sooner. Success here can also drive further exploration into pilot programs at VA that could, for instance, allow for collaboration with academic medical centers with experience in psychedelic research to operate under modified Food and Drug Administration pathways.”

Carol Whitmore, commander-in-chief of Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), spoke to the issue in written testimony ahead of a joint committee hearing on Tuesday, referencing federal survey data showing that younger veterans “use marijuana and hallucinogens at significantly higher rates than older veterans, reflecting both changing attitudes toward alternative therapies and persistent gaps in treatment effectiveness for younger service members.”

“As a result, some veterans are actively seeking alternative treatment modalities outside traditional VA frameworks,” she said.

VFW also specifically noted the potential of MDMA-assisted therapy, which research indicates may be associated with “increased emotional regulation, reduced fear responses, and enhanced processing of traumatic memories.”

“Research in these areas is accelerating,” the veterans group said, referencing work that’s underway at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Institutes of Health and U.S. Department of Veterans (VA). “However, VA still lacks sufficient resources, statutory authority, and infrastructure to study these options at scale.”

“With nearly 2.5 million veterans seeking mental health care through VA, it is uniquely positioned to lead the nation in developing next-generation PTSD treatments. The VFW urges Congress to pass the Innovative Therapies Centers of Excellence Act of 2025, which would establish five specialized VA medical centers dedicated to evaluating and advancing cutting-edge therapies, including stellate ganglion block, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, ketamine infusion, MDMA-assisted therapy, medical cannabis, and other emerging treatments. Creating these centers of excellence would allow VA to standardize research, accelerate clinical innovation, and expand treatment options for veterans who have not found relief through traditional therapies.”

Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) emphasized his own interest in promoting alternative therapies, and VFW’s Whitmore told the senator at the hearing that veterans “should not have to start over,” and there are “so many different modalities that the VFW would like Congress to look at [such as] hyperbaric treatment and medical cannabis.”

“There are many different things that can be done. A veteran doesn’t want another pill thrown at them,” she said.

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) also provided written testimony for Tuesday’s hearing, briefly noting that “interest in understanding alternative therapies, such as psychedelics, to address underlying drivers of suicidality has become increasingly popular in policy and veteran circles, yet more research is needed to fully understand their effectiveness.”

Last week, Disabled American Veterans’s (DAV) Coleman Nee urged committee members in written testimony to prioritize the “unique needs of the veteran population,” which includes recognizing the “importance of alternative and emerging therapies, such as psychedelics, which have shown promise in being more effective than traditional methods.”

“By exploring and implementing these innovative treatments, we can better support the mental health and well-being of veterans,” he said.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), a proponent of psychedelics and cannabis reform, specifically asked about alternative therapies at an in-person hearing late last month, and Nee told the lawmaker that he’s personally a “huge believer” in the potential of novel treatment options.

“I’ve used alternative and naturalistic therapies for my own disabilities. We’ve done a significant amount of work on that and, in fact, we’ve done a significant amount of research,” he said, turning to DAV’s Jon Retzer for additional input.

“We really appreciate alternative options [and] research on psychedelics,” Retzer said.

The VSO testimony comes as U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. reiterates his own interest in expanding psychedelics access, telling Joe Rogan on a recent podcast episode that the Trump administration is “very anxious” to create a pathway for the novel therapies and that top officials across federal agencies want to “get it out to the public as quickly as possible.”

Meanwhile, in November, Kennedy, Vice President JD Vance, the FDA commissioner and other Trump administration officials attended a “Make America Healthy Again” summit that featured a session dedicated to exploring psychedelic medicine.

In June, Kennedy said his agency is “absolutely committed” to expanding research on the benefits of psychedelic therapy and, alongside of the head of FDA, is aiming to provide legal access to such substances for military veterans “within 12 months.”

The secretary also said in April that he had a “wonderful experience” with LSD at 15 years old, which he took because he thought he’d be able to see dinosaurs, as portrayed in a comic book he was a fan of.

Last October, Kennedy specifically criticized FDA under the prior administration 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.

Photo elements courtesy of carlosemmaskype and Apollo.

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