LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The Michigan Veteran Affairs Agency has announced that research on marijuana as an alternative treatment for vets is advancing in Congress. A recent press release says that psychedelic drugs and marijuana could be evaluated as treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other conditions afflicting veterans under bills moving through Congress.

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The website military.com is reporting that the version of the annual defense policy bill approved recently by the House Armed Services Committee would require the Pentagon to conduct a clinical trial on treating service members’ PTSD, traumatic brain injury and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (decrease in blood flow or oxygen to the brain) with drugs including MDMA, commonly called ecstasy, and psilocybin, the psychedelic compound found in magic mushrooms.

The defense bill, called the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, would also require the Pentagon and VA to study the effects of marijuana use in service members and veterans with PTSD, depression, anxiety or chronic pain.

Meanwhile, the Senate Appropriations Committee is using its annual VA spending bill to encourage, but not require, the VA to help with privately funded research on the use of psychedelics to treat PTSD and depression.

The report says that including the measures in the must-pass bills signals a growing interest from both parties in finding alternative treatments for conditions that have been seen as signature injuries in the 9/11-era wars. However, the bills still have several obstacles to overcome before being passed into law, including continued GOP skepticism about legislation that could lead to easing restrictions on currently illegal substances.

Things could be changing though. The military.com report says, “The marijuana and psychedelic provisions in the NDAA were added to the bill with no debate last week as part of a bipartisan vote to add a package of amendments considered noncontroversial to the bill. Both were sponsored by Republicans, with Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina proposing the marijuana amendment and Navy SEAL veteran Rep. Morgan Luttrell of Texas proposing the psychedelics one.”

At a news conference earlier this month, Luttrell said he underwent psychedelic-assisted therapy in a foreign country after his marriage and personal relationships suffered from anger issues he developed when he left the military. He said his treatment included ibogaine and DMT, which would both be studied by his amendment in addition to ecstasy and mushrooms. He told the conference, “I can honestly stand in front of all of you and the American public and say I was reborn. This changed my life. It saved my marriage. It is one of the greatest things that ever happened to me.”

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According to military.com, the VA is currently prohibited from recommending, prescribing or paying for marijuana, though department policy allows for discussion about marijuana use between VA providers and patients. The report says, “Last week, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved an amendment to the 2024 VA spending bill to allow a ‘health care provider of the department to make appropriate recommendations, fill out forms or take steps to comply’ with state medical marijuana programs. Similar amendments have been approved by the committee in previous years but have not made it into the final appropriations bills that became law.”

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), the amendment’s sponsor, said in a statement last week, “Outdated laws should never censor veterans’ doctor-patient relationships. Thirty-seven states now have legal cannabis programs, and it is unacceptable to treat veterans as second-class citizens and force them to find a different doctor to simply ask questions and seek treatment if they choose to access state legal medical cannabis programs.”

The Senate Appropriations Committee has expressed interest in studying psychedelic drugs but did not mandate a study like in the NDAA. The Appropriations Committee wrote in a report, “The committee recognizes the increased interest in studying psychedelic therapies and their potential therapeutic effects for veterans. The committee encourages VA to explore opportunities to assist with privately-funded research programs to evaluate the efficacy of psychedelic therapies in treating PTSD, major depressive disorder, and other serious mental health conditions.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are 672,213 veterans in Michigan and more than 21.3 million in the United States. Michigan is home to 37 FA facilities who serve veterans from the Gulf Wars, the Vietnam era, the Korean War, World War II and also veterans who served in peacetime. About half of those veterans are 65-years-old or older.

Data from the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency shows that Michigan is ranked 11 of 53 veteran population amongst states and territories with 6.6 percent of the adult population in the state who are veterans.

The Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency was created by executive order in 2013 and is the state’s Central coordinating point for veterans and their families. It’s part of the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) and proves support, care, advocacy and service to veterans of all eras.