Defense Secretary Must Study Psychedelic ‘Access Pathways’ For Military Servicemembers, Congressional Committee Says
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A congressional committee has attached report language to a key annual defense bill that calls on military officials to pay greater attention to potential “access pathways” to psychedelic therapies for servicemembers.
Citing a psychedelics executive order signed by President Donald Trump in April, the House Armed Services Committee is urging Department of Defense (DOD) leaders to “remain informed of lawful research and access pathways relevant to post-traumatic stress disorder and other serious mental health conditions affecting servicemembers during post-deployment and transition periods, and members of the Reserve Components and National Guard who also serve as first responders.”
That includes studies on “psilocybin-containing investigational products, including naturally derived whole-mushroom formulations administered in structured therapeutic settings,” the report that the panel approved to be attached to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2027 says.
The panel is directing the secretary of defense to issue a report by February 1, 2027 that assesses data on such trials, along with an assessment of “legal and regulatory requirements for expanded access,” including under Trump’s psychedelics executive order as well as a Right to Try law the president signed during his first term in office.
The secretary’s report would also need to include a “proposed timeline for potential pilot activities or expanded clinical research beginning in fiscal year 2027, and for any broader implementation thereafter.”
“Assessment of Emerging Clinical Research for Treatment-Resistant PTSD
The committee recognizes the importance of federally lawful clinical research, expanded access, and right-to-try pathways for investigational treatments addressing serious mental illness, including post-traumatic stress disorder. These pathways may include recent State-enabled support for Food and Drug Administration-regulated studies of psilocybin-containing investigational products, including naturally derived whole-mushroom formulations administered in structured therapeutic settings, consistent with applicable Federal law, Right to Try, expanded access authorities, Drug Enforcement Administration requirements, and the April 18, 2026 Presidential Executive Order titled ‘Accelerating Medical Treatments for Serious Mental Illness.’ The committee encourages the Department of Defense to remain informed of lawful research and access pathways relevant to post-traumatic stress disorder and other serious mental health conditions affecting servicemembers during post-deployment and transition periods, and members of the Reserve Components and National Guard who also serve as first responders.
The committee commends the rigorous, ethical clinical research conducted in accordance with federal law and force health protection standards to evaluate emerging treatments for service-connected mental health conditions where existing therapies have proven insufficient. The committee further believes that careful Department of Defense review of safety, dosing, and feasibility data is appropriate to inform future Department force health protection policy, medical readiness planning, and continuity of care during military-to-civilian transition.
Accordingly, the committee directs the Secretary of Defense to provide a report to the House Committee on Armed Services not later than February 1, 2027, assessing the data from the Phase I Passage and Phase II Fortitude Trials and its potential applicability to active-duty, reserve, and transitioning servicemembers.
The report shall include the following:
(1) a summary of the Phase I Passage Trial safety, dosing, and adverse event data reviewed and analyzed by the Department for applicability to active-duty, reserve/guard, and transitioning servicemember populations;
(2) implications for force health protection, medical readiness, and suicide prevention strategies, including identification of any gaps in existing treatment options for active-duty, reserve/guard, and transitioning servicemembers;
(3) legal and regulatory requirements for expanded access, Right to Try, or other federally lawful pathways involving investigational Schedule I treatments, including coordination with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the applicability of the 18 April 2026 Presidential Executive Order ‘Accelerating Medical Treatments for Serious Mental Illness’ to treatment-resistant PTSD and associated comorbidities, including elevated suicide risk during post-deployment and transition periods;
(4) considerations for ensuring continuity of care for servicemembers transitioning from the Department of Defense to the Veterans Health Administration, to include eligibility criteria, clinical treatment oversight, informed consent, safety monitoring, and adverse event reporting; and
(5) proposed timeline for potential pilot activities or expanded clinical research beginning in fiscal year 2027, and for any broader implementation thereafter, as appropriate.”
The opening paragraph of the approved report language that mentions Trump’s psychedelics order and whole-mushroom psilocybin formulations was added to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel’s initial draft via an amendment during Thursday’s markup from Rep. Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ).
Hamadeh’s amendment also added the third bullet point of the scope of the requested report from the secretary of defense, replacing previous language in the draft that said it should include “legal and regulatory requirements for any potential expanded access pathway involving an investigational Schedule I substance, including coordination with the Food and Drug Administration and the Drug Enforcement Administration.”
Lawmakers have used past year’s versions of NDAA to advance psychedelics research, and have also included provisions on marijuana use and drug testing in the military.
Tom Angell is the editor of Marijuana Moment. A 25-year veteran in the cannabis and drug law reform movement, he covers the policy, politics, science and culture of marijuana, psychedelics and other substances. He previously reported for Forbes, Marijuana.com and MassRoots, and was given the Hunter S. Thompson Media Award by NORML and has been named Journalist of the Year by Americans for Safe Access. As an activist, Tom founded the nonprofit Marijuana Majority and handled media relations, campaigns and lobbying for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition and Students for Sensible Drug Policy.
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