Health

Morgan Luttrell grew up on a Texas horse ranch during the drumbeat of “Just Say No” anti-drug messaging, survived multiple combat deployments as a Navy SEAL and 

In recent years, a quiet revolution has been unfolding within the realm of treatment for combat-related injuries: psychedelic therapies. Substances like MDMA, psilocybin and ibogaine are now at the forefront of cutting-edge research for their potential to alleviate severe conditions, particularly post-traumatic stress (PTS) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The U.S. House of Representatives has approved amendments to a large-scale spending bill that would authorize U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) doctors to issue medical marijuana recommendations to military veterans and support psychedelics research and access.

Biden should loosen restrictions to allow veterans to use psychedelics as they recover from trauma experienced in combat, say lawmakers. 

As a former Navy SEAL and Republican congressman from Texas, Rep. Morgan Luttrell might not necessarily seem like someone you’d expect to become a leader on federal psychedelics policy reform. And he might not have, either—if it weren’t for his own experience with plant-based medicine.

WASHINGTON — Sixty percent of veterans who die from suicide each year had no recent engagement with health care services at the Department of Veterans Affairs.