Trump Administration Seeks to Expand Psychedelic Treatments for Veterans

The Veterans Health Administration is planning to offer psychedelic-assisted therapy to as many as 2.1 million veterans who receive Veterans Affairs (VA) care, according to Andrew Gradison, senior adviser at the Veterans Health Administration. That figure represents roughly one-third of the 6.4 million veterans who regularly use VA health services. The VA is currently involved in 20 psychedelic clinical trials.

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In April, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to accelerate research, clinical trials, and patient access to psychedelic therapies. The order also highlighted ibogaine, a Schedule I substance, as a candidate for study. Under the 2024 administration, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rejected an application for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD, but a week after the executive order the agency granted fast-track review status to three companies developing psychedelic treatments. One of those companies, Compass Pathways, plans to submit a synthetic psilocybin application this quarter, with company-projected approval in the first half of 2027.

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Health and Human Services Secretary **Robert F.

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Experts stress that the administration’s goal is not to dispense illegal psychedelics under current law but to speed the regulatory pathway for FDA-approved pharmaceuticals. They point to the lack of approved drugs, the need for trained clinicians, and the logistical challenge of scaling treatment safely. The FDA’s 2024 rejection of MDMA for PTSD underscores the regulatory uncertainty that the VA must navigate before any widespread rollout.

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• “For some veterans, PTSD isn't something they can just leave behind when they come home from deployment. It can affect their sleep, their relationships, their ability to feel safe and even how they see themselves,” — Christopher DiViaio, the clinical director at Eleve Behavioral Health

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• “If these turn out to be as good as people are saying, it’s going to have a tremendous impact on this country, and other countries, too,” — The Trump, president

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• “It’s disturbing to me and to the president that hundreds, in fact thousands, of veterans are having to travel to Mexico, or other countries, to experiment with interventions that hold great promise,” — Robert F. Kennedy, human services secretary

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