VA Benefits Update—Trump Aims for Millions of Veterans to Get Illegal Drugs
Summary
The Trump administration is seeking to expand research and prepare for possible VA use of psychedelic-assisted treatments for PTSD and depression. VA adviser Andrew Gradison said as many as 2.1 million veterans could potentially benefit, but the drugs discussed are not FDA-approved for these conditions, and the VA would face safety and capacity challenges.Key Facts
- About 6.4 million veterans regularly receive health care through the Department of Veterans Affairs, according to Gradison.
- Gradison estimated that as many as 2.1 million of those veterans could potentially benefit from psychedelic treatments.
- The treatments under discussion include psilocybin and MDMA, used with therapy.
- President Donald Trump issued an executive order in April to speed research, clinical trials, and patient access to psychedelic therapies.
- The FDA has not approved the psychedelic treatments discussed for PTSD or depression.
- In 2024, the FDA rejected a proposal to use MDMA with therapy to treat PTSD.
- Gradison said the VA would struggle to treat even thousands of patients in the first year if an FDA-approved psychedelic drug became available.
- The article says officials are seeking to advance research and regulation, not to broadly dispense illegal psychedelics under current law.
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