A U.S. Senate committee is taking up a bipartisan bill to promote research into the therapeutic potential psychedelics by creating a new office focused on the issue in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)—hearing testimony from federal officials and veterans groups about the measure.
Representatives from VA testified that despite aligning with the “intent” of the bill, the department does not support the legislation itself and “does not believe a new office is needed to carry out the duties and requirements.”
Meanwhile, a Democratic senator said the Trump administration has been “better” on psychedelics reform than the Biden administration was.
The legislation—titled the Veterans Health Administration Novel Therapeutics Preparedness Act—is being led by Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-MT) and is cosponsored by Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and John Boozman (R-AR).
The new VA Office of Novel Therapeutics contemplated by S. 4220 would help to advance the development innovative treatments for serious mental health conditions and assist in reviewing the scheduling status of drugs like psilocybin, ibogaine and MDMA.
The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee discussed the psychedelics bill, along with 24 other pieces of legislation, at a hearing on Wednesday.
Gallego, one of the bill cosponsors, said that “emerging
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