In the near future, we plan to introduce a two-bill package designed to ensure veterans can access treatment for service-connected Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Treatment Resistant Depression (TRD) with promising low-dose, psilocybin-assisted therapies.
 
A national crisis continues to unfold, affecting the men and women who bravely served our country. The Veterans Administration (VA) reports that nearly 6,400 veterans died by suicide in 2022, including 230 in Pennsylvania, a rate staggeringly higher than that of the general population.

This is an unacceptable reality.

While the VA, our state, and our country have made strides in addressing this issue, Pennsylvania must offer every tool available to veterans struggling with PTSD, TRD, and other major depressive disorders.

Early clinical trial data has demonstrated that low-dose psilocybin-assisted treatments, when conducted in a controlled clinical setting with a licensed and trained physician, have shown remarkable promise in helping patients. These therapies have exceptional success rates in helping patients achieve healing and lasting recovery, with some clinical trials reporting over 75% of participants experiencing symptom remission.

The research in this field has been so promising that the FDA recently awarded psilocybin treatments “Breakthrough Therapy” status.

Our proposal will amend Pennsylvania’s Right-to-Try Act to offer lifesaving psilocybin-assisted therapies to veterans. The act will require psilocybin treatments to be administered under strict clinical supervision. This proposal will also automatically align Pennsylvania’s scheduling with any future federal rescheduling of psilocybin. These provisions will only take effect if the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reclassifies psilocybin from a Schedule I controlled substance, or issues a waiver authorizing its use.

With promising federal action on the horizon, it is imperative that Pennsylvania enacts the necessary laws to ensure that, once federal agencies act, our veterans can promptly begin receiving the treatment they need. Together, these bills will ensure timely, safe, and medically supervised access to innovative treatment to support veterans and patients who urgently need new options.

Please join us in co-sponsoring these bills and allowing every veteran the opportunity to achieve recovery and get their lives back.