A senior Veterans Affairs adviser has indicated the agency could expand access to psychedelic drugs for as many as 2.1 million veterans with mental health conditions.
Andrew Gradison, who works in President Donald Trump’s Veterans Health Administration, spoke this month at a conference focused on psychedelic medicine, explained Politico. He discussed building the VA’s capacity to offer treatments such as psilocybin and MDMA to veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and related conditions.
Gradison said 6.4 million veterans regularly receive VA care, putting the potential reach at about one in three of those patients.
No federal regulator has approved psychedelics as safe and effective treatments for mental illness. In 2024, the Food and Drug Administration rejected an application to authorize MDMA, also known as ecstasy, when used with psychotherapy to treat PTSD. The decision was widely viewed as a setback for advocates seeking broader medical use of the drugs.
The Trump administration has signaled a more open approach. In April, the president issued an executive order aimed at speeding research and clinical trials and creating pathways for patient access. Republicans in Congress have also backed expanded access, with veterans—who tend to vote Republican—central to the political case for the treatments.
JOE ROGAN is at the Oval Office with President Trump today joined by medical professionals and RFK Jr.
President Trump is making an announcement about psychedelics!
“When is the news conference happening Saturday morning has that ever happened before?” pic.twitter.com/eMo467QNs1
— SANTINO (@TheRealSantino) April 18, 2026
The drugs remain tightly controlled, and any broader rollout would require clinical protocols and safety monitoring.
