Dan Crenshaw: “Mr. Crenshaw, I rise today to offer amendment No. 137, which takes the simple yet important step of directing the…”

“Mr. Crenshaw, I rise today to offer amendment No. 137, which takes the simple yet important step of directing the Defense Health Agency to report to Congress on options for allowing Active-Duty servicemembers to participate in VA psychedelic-assisted therapy clinical trials. I repeat, these clinical trials are already happening in partnership with the VA, and there is no reason that we should not be looking at the benefits of this research for our men and women that are already currently serving our country actively. Mr. Chair, I want to be really clear about why I am supporting this small step to research psychedelic-assisted therapy for Active-Duty servicemembers. This is not about legalization. This is not about recreational use. It is about honoring our promise to our military families and confronting the high incidence of suicide in the military and veteran community. There is a reason for the high rate of suicide--it is the trauma of serving. There are more than 20 veterans who kill themselves every day and 27 percent of post-9/11 veterans are diagnosed with PTSD. We have a crisis, and the idea that we wouldn't research potential breakthrough treatments is unacceptable. The status quo is inadequate and it won't stop servicemembers and veterans from committing suicide. I believe this research will. I have good reason for believing that, so let's look at the data.…”