Congressional Lawmakers Persist On NDAA Psychedelics Amendment Despite House Committee Obstacles

Despite the fact that the Congressional House rules committee approved a version the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) bill that does not include recent amendments expanding provisions on both cannabis and psychedelics, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle supported including a psychedelics research amendment, reported Marijuana Moment.

Statements were delivered during a press briefing following the committee’s decision by several representatives leading the battle in Congress, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Lou Correa (D-CA), and Dan Crenshaw (R-TX).

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) had given his word to Crenshaw to fight for the measure’s broadened version. While Ocasio-Cortez said members had gathered to “really celebrate the enormous amount of progress” in advancing psychedelic research and applications to PTSD for veterans communities “as well as many other survivors across the country.” She recalled a 2019 attempt to broaden psychedelics research that had faced considerable rejection from both parties.

She acknowledged that “we are not yet done.” The group expects the psychedelic provision to pass the House, but face in the Senate.

See Also: New Federal Bill Allocates $75M For Psychedelics Research To Support Active Service Members

Correa echoed the enthusiasm. “We’re on the verge of success,” noting that psychedelics research is “critically important” not only for U.S. veterans but for society as a whole. 

The psychedelics language in the bill is the same as the one that was previously attached to the House Armed Services Committee bill. It calls on the Defense Secretary to conduct a clinical study into the therapeutic benefits of psilocybin, MDMA, ibogaine, or DMT for active service members with PTSD, TBI, or CTE.

The original amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) aimed to increase funding for clinical trials on the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics for military members with PTSD, TBI, or CTE. However, the amendment was modified to remove key language around funding and clinical trials, making it less effective.

The House Rules Committee rejected an amendment that would have restored the original language of the amendment. The committee also decided to block all “controversial” cannabis and psychedelics-related amendments from receiving votes on the House floor.

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Photo: Benzinga edit with photo by Cburnett on Wikimedia Commons and Octavio Hoyos on Shutterstock.