John Plahovinsak
Representative Dan Crenshaw, a former U.S. Navy Seal, is spearheading federal legislation for a new Therapeutic Approach to treat combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms.
The H.R. 3684, the Douglas “Mike” Day Psychedelic Therapy To Save Lives Act of 2023, involves using psilocybin to treat PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injuries. Psilocybin chemicals are “mood-altering drugs to treat combat-related brain-maladies.”
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), PTSD affects fifteen (15%) percent of all veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Of six (6) million veterans served by the VA in fiscal 2021, ten (10) of every 100 men and nineteen (19) of every 1000 women were diagnosed with PTSD.
The Centers for Disease and Prevention indicated that approximately 450,000 veterans were diagnosed with traumatic brain injury (TBI) from 2000 to 2021.
Congressman Crenshaw is supported in this bipartisan legislative effort by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. As of September 14, 2023, there are fourteen (14) other co-sponsors for this proposed bill, including Rep. Bill Johnson, of the State of Ohio.
This bill would direct the Secretary of the Department of Defense (DoD) to establish grants and clinical studies to academic institutions and non-profit entities. These would be utilized to conduct research on the treatment of active-duty servicemembers suffering with TBI or PTSD and treated with psychedelic substances.
“There’s already some pretty solid studies that show just unbelievable outcomes and massive reduction in PTSD symptoms,” said Crenshaw.
“Psilocybin and other hallucinogenic hold ‘incredible promise’ to treat addiction and other ‘inner demons.’ Start with our servicemembers. Start with our veterans,” explained former Navy Seal Crenshaw.
Another co-sponsor of the proposed legislation, Congressman Lou Correa stated that countless veterans have traveled to Mexico, Jamaica, and Costa Rica to obtain the same treatments as contained in H.R. 3684.
“Their success rate was eighty (80%) percent, according to Rep. Correa. “It’s shameful that the one thing that works for those veterans is not legal in the United States,” contended Rep. Correa.
“The stigma around these substances is very real,” stated Rep. Ocasio-Cortez. “But they hold enormous therapeutic potential.” Pure psilocybin can be used to treat mental and psychological disorders due to its potential to stimulate certain areas of the brain.
The stigma that the Congresswoman was referring to is that psilocybin is a psychedelic compound found in “magic mushrooms.” It can be obtained in both fresh and dried mushrooms in varying concentrations.
It can cause hallucinogenic effects and is illegal under federal law in the United States, since it is classified as a Schedule I controlled substance.
“To knowingly refuse to enable research that could end millions of these people’s suffering is simply wrong,” said Ocasio-Cortez. “If we prohibit these promising drugs from being studied, we are being led by stigma, not science. And it is our veterans who will pay the price.”
My Opinion: I believe in the overall intent of the proposed legislation; but I disagree with the planned implementation of H.R. 3684. First, any program that relieves the suffering of veterans with PTSD and TBI is a supportable program.
However, a thorough review of H.R. 3684 indicates that the individuals to be treated in the clinical studies are active-duty members of the Armed Services and not veterans who are no longer on active-duty. In fact, the word “veteran” is never used anywhere in the entire bill.
The proposed legislative bill was referred to the Committee on Armed Services —- not the Committee of Veterans Affairs.
In January of 2023, it was reported that the VA is already participating in at least five trials to study the effectiveness of psychedelic drugs including psilocybin and MDMA as a treatment for veterans with PTSD and TBI. These trials are being conducted in California, New York, and Oregon.
In September of 2022, The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee heard testimony concerning the VA’s involvement in the psilocybin research.
“VA researchers are engaged in research around this, however they need very specific safety and approvals to ensure that we are keeping our veterans safe while we are exploring these new interventions,” said VA Clinical Psychologist Lisa Brenner during the hearing. “These current projects are not funded by the office of research and development, but VA is engaged and watching closely.”
I believe that H.R. 3684 should be implemented not by the Department of Defense (DoD) but by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
The VA is already participating in studies of psilocybin as a treatment for PTSD, and they should be the coordinators of any grants given to academic institutions to avoid needless duplication of scientific research efforts.
BioSketch: John Plahovinsak is a retired 32-year Army veteran, who served from 1967 to 1999. He is the current Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Department of Ohio Hospital Chairman and Adjutant of Chapter #63 (Clermont County). He can be contacted at plahovinsak@msn.com.