A piece of legislation was recently introduced that would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish dedicated research centers to study the use of psychedelic treatment for veterans.
The Innovative Therapies Centers of Excellence Act of 2025, introduced by senators Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and David McCormick (R-PA), would provide $30 million in funding to treat veterans experiencing conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse disorder and depression.
According to the most recent data by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), PTSD is more common in veterans than in civilians and at some point in their lives, seven out of every 100 veterans will have PTSD.
“Our veterans face disproportionately high rates of PTSD, depression and substance use disorders due to combat exposure, trauma and challenges that follow them home. Every day, 17 of them die by suicide. That must change,” said McCormick. “The Innovative Therapies Centers of Excellence Act will ensure the VA keeps pace with the private sector by expanding access to cutting-edge treatments, like MDMA-assisted therapy, promoting ongoing research on veteran health outcomes, and closing gaps in treatment services for our veterans who need it most. We owe them nothing less than our very best.”
In December 2024, the VA announced funding for a study on MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD and alcohol use disorder among veterans. This was the first time the VA had funded research on psychedelics since the 1960s.
Classic psychedelic drugs, like psilocybin, are drugs that act on the serotonin system in the brain. There are other drugs, like MDMA and ketamine, that are generally classified as psychedelics because they have mind-altering effects, but they act on systems in addition to the serotonin system, according to the VA.
The proposed legislation, SB 4031, would create at least five “innovative therapies centers of excellence” that would be designed by the VA to conduct research MDMA, ibogaine, ketamine and psilocybin to treat anxiety, bipolar disorder, chronic pain, depression, Parkinson’s disease, PTSD and substance use disorder.
The legislation would also require the VA to submit a report on findings and recommendations to improve the delivery of the innovative therapies to veterans.
“When I came back from Iraq, I saw my fellow Marines, like so many other veterans, struggle to get the help they needed,” said Gallego. “Our veterans sacrificed so much for this country. We owe it to them to explore every treatment that can help them heal, including therapeutic uses of psychedelics that may finally break through when others haven’t. I’m proud to lead this bill to help the VA study promising alternative therapies that can save lives.”
