ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. — Today, following the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) issuing a request for applications (RFA) for proposals from its network of VA researchers to study the use of certain psychedelic compounds in treating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, Representatives Lou Correa (CA-46) and Jack Bergman (MI-01), co-chairs of the Psychedelics Advancing Therapies (PATH) Caucus, released the below statement:
“To say this moment is monumental would be an understatement. We’ve been fighting for years to push the VA to research the impact of breakthrough therapies, like psychedelics, on the invisible wounds of our country’s most valiant warriors—with the House passing our amendment to do just that last year,” Correa said. “These therapies promise to be one of the largest breakthroughs in mental health treatment in nearly half a century, and, with some reported signs of up to 80% success in treatment, shows a possibility to cure our veterans of their invisible wounds—and be the first step toward tackling our national mental health crisis head-on. I could not be more proud to have been in this fight alongside General Bergman to get to this point, and we won’t stop until these potentially life-saving therapies are accessible to all who would benefit from them.”
Last year, the House of Representatives passed the Correa-Bergman Amendment, which was included in federal funding legislation, to push the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out “large-scale studies” into drugs like psilocybin and MDMA—which have been designated as “breakthrough therapies” by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“If psychedelic-assisted therapy can help treat a servicemember or Veteran’s PTSD, or prevent them from taking their own life, then we owe it to them to take an active role in researching these potentially life-saving therapies,” Bergman said. “I’m grateful for Secretary McDonough’s commitment to making VA a leader in this promising new field of research, and for my friend Lou Correa’s work and leadership to help move this forward. This is the next first step—and I will continue fighting to advance these promising therapies that could save the lives of countless Veterans.”
The Correa-Bergman Amendment amended the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill. It encouraged the VA to explore utilizing federal dollars to fund research into the impact of breakthrough therapies, including psychedelics, on veterans who return home from combat with invisible wounds. It passed by unanimous consent, and was included in the final text of the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, which passed out of the House last year. You can find the full text of the amendment HERE.
Correa and Bergman are Co-Chairs of Congressional Psychedelics Advancing Therapies (PATH) Caucus, where they promote rigorous and urgent clinical research into the efficacy of psychedelics in treating brain health conditions, in accordance with the law.
ABOUT LOU:
Congressman Lou Correa is a longtime Orange County resident, with deep local roots. To this day, he lives only three miles from his childhood neighborhood in Anaheim. He is the son of working-class parents whose hard work gave him a chance at success, and has spent his career fighting to protect the American Dream, and ensure anyone can reach the middle class, just as he did. In 2016, Lou was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives to continue his work by representing the community he has spent the past 20 years serving, fighting to give everyone access to the same opportunity he had. Congressman Correa is committed to working across party lines to strengthen the middle class and give everyone a shot at the American Dream by investing in education, healthcare, and our fading infrastructure, and has introduced legislation to protect the legal rights of immigrants, care for veterans, and fight against the wasteful spending of taxpayer money.
