Why 80 lawmakers are urging Joe Biden to reexamine MDMA’s medical uses
More than 80 Republicans and Democrats are urging Joe Biden to allow the use of psychedelic drugs for war veterans.
MDMA, also known as ecstasy, is a psychedelic drug that has been shown in some studies to help with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Due to its high abuse potential, the Schedule I drug is currently illegal to use recreationally or for medical purposes in the U.S.
But an overwhelming number of lawmakers want the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve MDMA-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) for veterans with PTSD.
Millions of Americans suffer from PTSD and more war veterans have died by suicide in recent years than from war, Rep. Jack Bergman (R-Michigan), a retired three-star general, said in a letter to Biden asking for a treatment plan for soldiers.
“The evidence is clear: MDMA-AT is a safe and effective form of therapy for our veterans suffering from the invisible wounds of their service,” Bergman said in an exclusive statement to DailyMail.com.
A group of 80 members of Congress led by Republican Rep. Jack Bergman of Michigan sent a letter directly to President Joe Biden asking him to take action to allow MDMA-assisted therapy to continue at the FDA in an effort to help veterans with PTSD.
“I have urged my colleagues in this letter to the President that it is time for our country to put politics second and the lives of our veterans first.”
“To truly address the root cause of the veteran suicide crisis, we must make these groundbreaking therapies widely and easily accessible to those who have served our country,” his statement said.
In his letter, signed by 60 members of the House of Representatives, Bergman directly asks the president to reconsider the MDMA studies.
“Thousands of veterans suffering from PTSD continue to commit suicide each year,” Bergman wrote to Biden. “Current treatments are clearly not working well enough, and our veterans cannot wait any longer.”
“If the data and evidence show that MDMA-AT is safe and effective in alleviating the suffering of many veterans, then we owe it to them and the millions of others living with PTSD to make this treatment option available to them.”
A Senate letter to FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf, signed by 19 senators, noted that “6,000 veterans commit suicide each year, with more than 150,000 suicides since 9/11.”
According to the Ministry of Veterans AffairsIn 2020, five percent of Americans suffered from PTSD, a total of approximately 13 million citizens.
Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas, during a combat mission somewhere in the Middle East. After suffering a spinal cord injury and a traumatic brain injury (TBI), he turned to psychedelic drugs to recover. He credits some of those treatments with saving his life
MDMA is popularly known as the party drug ‘Molly’. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently conducted research into its potential benefits in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
An 11-member FDA advisory panel voted 10-1 in June against recommending MDMA for PTSD. Their final decision is expected this month
The letter from both parties comes two months after an FDA panel initially rejected MDMA-AT following a preliminary review in early June.
The agency found that there were inconsistencies in data from MDMA studies on PTSD, raising further questions about its efficacy.
They also found that MDMA carries drug-related risks, including drug abuse, injury and possible heart problems.
Notably, the FDA panel found that the studies were not diverse enough.
Many of the studies they examined involved white men and only five black men were given MDMA in the tests, Associated Press reported.
The FDA’s June decision, however, did not remove the drug from its status as an approved therapy. That decision is expected to be made in August.
A co-signer of the Bergman letter, Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas, credited the psychedelic drugs he was able to take in Mexico for saving his life and the marriage after experiencing the true atrocities of war during several brutal battles.
Luttrell served as a Navy SEAL for 14 years before retiring for medical reasons
After his military service, Luttrell had to go to Mexico to receive psychotherapy
He called the FDA panel’s choice “a bad decision and a step in the wrong direction,’ at the time
“I have traveled across the country studying and researching these emerging therapies and have personally experienced their groundbreaking effects,” the former Navy SEAL told DailyMail.com.
“I will never stop pushing for innovative solutions for our veterans and service members,” Luttrell said.
After serving as a SEAL for 14 years, he retired in 2014 for medical reasons. He sought treatment for mental health issues he had suffered as a result of his service.
He argues that veterans struggling with mental health issues resulting from war, PTSD and traumatic brain injury (TBI), sometimes have no other options than psychedelics.
After suffering a TBI and spinal cord injury in a helicopter crash in 2009, he has been committed to making the treatments that helped him available to other veterans.
“The impact of new therapies on our veterans is groundbreaking and I am proud to be at the forefront of further developing this innovative tool in the proverbial toolbox, especially as we transition away from opioids,” Luttrell previously told DailyMail.com.