Those who have raised their hand to protect and defend our country deserve better. We remain committed to fighting for better care for our heroes, and we’re proud to join with Representative Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) in his bi-partisan effort to involve active-duty servicemembers in an upcoming study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on the use of psychedelic therapies.
Rep. Crenshaw’s press release quoted our founder, Daniel Elkins,
“We owe it to those who suffer to pursue new and better treatments. SOF servicemembers are dying by suicide at rates 30% higher than the rest of the military. NIH and DoD need to work together so that SOF members in need can access these promising and life-saving treatments.”
The release highlights a recent FDA Phase 3 Trial of MDMA-Assisted Therapy for PTSD, which found that 67% of participants who received 3 MDMA-assisted therapy sessions no longer qualified for a PTSD diagnosis, and 88% experienced a clinically meaningful reduction in symptoms. With veterans dying by suicide at rates climbing to more than 20 per day, we cannot remain content with the use of traditional medications that are not effectively treating trauma-related disorders. As a former Navy SEAL, Rep. Crenshaw understands that long-used, traditional treatments are not making a dent in the suicide rates.
We are grateful Congress is joining the fight to find alternative, more effective treatments, and we fully support Rep. Crenshaws efforts to include servicemembers and veterans in ongoing research on psychedelic-assisted therapies. Thank you Reps. Luis Correa, Jack Bergman, Donald Davis, Chris Deluzio, Max Miller, Nancy Mace, Morgan Luttrell, Mikie Sherrill, Jimmy Panetta, and Ro Khanna, who are joining the fight by signing on to this important effort.
