Trend Veteran mental health makes psychedelics a rare bipartisan agenda in Washington

Summary

GWI's Psychedelics and Healing Initiative argues that amid geopolitical tension and domestic polarisation, psychedelic medicine may be the only bipartisan issue in Washington, with veteran health at its core. The agenda covers suicide prevention, traumatic brain injury, PTSD and alcohol use disorder, alongside a stated moral duty to care for those who served. Republican Jack Bergman and Democrat Lou Correa co-chair the first congressional psychedelic caucus and have backed bills directing the Department of Veterans Affairs to expand trials and create an extended-access programme. They have also proposed five VA centres of excellence focused on psychedelic medicine, and a Senate bill followed in March 2026. Advocate Melissa Lavasani calls the effort a blueprint for a new era of American mental health care, noting the VA system serves 9 million patients.