SAN DIEGO, June 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions (VETS), a nonprofit organization focused on ENDING veteran suicide through psychedelic-assisted therapy, co-founders Marcus and Amber Capone joined Rep. Dan Crenshaw (TX-02) for a press conference on the bipartisan bill proposing funding for psychedelic research for military service members.
SPEAKERS AND ATTENDEES: Rep. Dan Crenshaw, Marcus Capone and Amber Capone of VETS, Jonathan Lubecky, Donald Franklin of Special Operations Association of America, Marcus Luttrell, and Reps. Morgan Luttrell (TX-08), and Jack Bergman (MI-01).
This research is critical for providing access to life-saving care for our servicemembers, and VETS is proud to support this bipartisan effort in recognizing that more action is required to stop the suicide epidemic.
Congressman Dan Crenshaw first introduced this bipartisan bill, titled the "Douglas 'Mike' Day Psychedelic Therapy to Save Lives Act of 2023," honoring a former Navy SEAL and Silver Star recipient who died in March. The bill would create a $75 million federal grant program to support research into the therapeutic potential of psychedelics in aiding military servicemembers with qualifying health conditions.
"We understand firsthand the struggles that many United States veterans and servicemembers face," Capone said. "Through our direct work with veterans, we know what psychedelic therapies can be crucial in overcoming service-related challenges for the hundreds of veterans who have accessed our resources. All service members will become veterans. Those experiencing issues like PTSD, TBI, depression, and moral injury should not wait years until they leave service to get help. Including veterans in psychedelic research is critical in winning the fight to end veteran suicide."
As a nonprofit organization that supports veterans in accessing psychedelic-assisted therapies, VETS recognizes the critical importance of psychedelic research in evaluating all viable treatments for military service members, including active duty service members. There is objective real world evidence that supports the promise of these therapies, as seen in the hundreds of veterans that have gone through the VETS program.
The trial substances presented in this bill—psilocybin, ibogaine, MDMA, and 5–MeO–DMT—have already shown incredible promise in research for trauma-related disorders. More research is still critically needed, and VETS commends the efforts of these 12 sponsors to recognize that need.
A broad, bipartisan coalition of representatives supporting the bill, ranging from Navy SEALs like Reps. Luttrell (TX-08), Zinke (MT-01), and Van Orden (WI-03), to Rep. Matt Gaetz (FL-01), to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14).
For more information on VETS' advocacy efforts, visit www.vetsolutions.org or follow VETS on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter.
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SOURCE Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions