The week-long national convention of veterans and active-duty military support organization, The American Legion, came to an end on Sept. 4, with a major development. The organization adopted a resolution that backs the use of psychedelic therapies to treat veterans and other members of the military who may be suffering from mental health conditions such as PTSD, depression or a traumatic brain injury.
The resolution titled “Novel Therapeutics for Mental Health Conditions and Traumatic Brain Injury” was adopted to support the Veterans Health Administration’s Novel Therapeutics Preparedness Act.
It’s a bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. Senate in March by Senators Tim Sheehy (R-MT), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill), and John Boozman (R-Ark.) to use psychedelics and other non-traditional treatments for veterans and other military members.
Juliana Mercer, a Marine Corps veteran and past commander of the Montana American Legion Post 426, which first introduced the resolution, said in a statement to Military.com that access to psychedelic therapies for veterans and other military members is in demand.
“The American Legion’s adoption of this resolution sends a powerful message from one of the nation’s largest and most influential veterans service organizations,” Mercer said. “Veterans want continued research, responsible implementation and access to novel therapeutics that could fundamentally change how we treat some of the most difficult mental health conditions and traumatic brain injuries affecting our community.”
Bill Establishes Psychedelic Treatment Protocols
The bill, known as S.4220, establishes a dedicated office within the VHA to manage and coordinate research, clinical guidelines, and execution strategies for advanced medical treatment. It also prepares the VA for potential FDA approvals of psychedelic-assisted therapies for conditions such as PTSD, depression, and traumatic brain injury.
Additionally, the bill would direct the VA to build formal clinical care models, patient eligibility rules, safety procedures, and specialized training programs for clinicians and peer support workers.
Mercer said she saw firsthand the toll military service can have during her time in the Marine Corps, including multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. She applauded VA Secretary Doug Collins, who told American Legion members at the convention about the VA’s ongoing work to advance clinical trials for psychedelic therapies as a new mental health treatment option.
“The alignment we’re seeing between veterans, Congress and VA matters,” Mercer said. “Now we have an opportunity to turn that momentum into lasting change, continuing the research while building the workforce, infrastructure and systems necessary so that, if these treatments are approved, veterans can actually access them.”
Approval in Congress has been a sticking point in the past. The federal government has strictly restricted research into hallucinogens. But American Legion members known as Legionnaires have actively lobbied Congress to support legislation to reclassify psychedelic therapies from Schedule I to Schedule II treatments under the Controlled Substances Act. The change would loosen restrictions for medical research.
In a statement, Sen. Gallego said the legislation aims “to increase veterans’ access to innovative health care and ensure the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is prepared to better care for veterans with emerging mental health therapies.”
Mercer added, even with Congressional approval of the VHA’s Novel Therapeutics Preparedness Act, there would still be more work to do on behalf of veterans and other military members. Intensive clinical research would be needed on the safety and efficacy of psychedelics to prevent veteran suicide and other negative mental health events.
“Advancing promising treatments is only part of the job,” Mercer said. “We also have to make sure VA is prepared to deliver them responsibly and at scale.”
The American Legion Advocates For Veterans
Founded by an Act of Congress in 1919 after World War I, the American Legion supports and advocates for veterans and active-duty personnel, mentors youth, and strengthens communities. Its vision statement is “The American Legion: Veterans Strengthening America.”
There are four foundational pillars for the organization, including Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation, National Security, Americanism, and Children & Youth. The organization relies on these pillars to guide advocacy, outreach, and service across thousands of local posts and millions of members nationwide.
U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Ray Brooks champions the work of The American Legion after his military retirement in 2021 with a 100% service-connected disability. After nearly 30 years and two combat tours in Afghanistan, he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain and other conditions that made the husband and father of four irritable, agitated and difficult.
He said he discovered psychedelic-assisted therapy as a way to cope and get better.
“My relationships have improved with my wife, the children, my friends,” Brooks said in a statement on The American Legion website. “I’m a kinder, gentler, more aware and in tune. More compassionate, more empathetic, more open and accepting. These modalities tell us that it is time now to heal.”
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