Letters in Support of the Right to Try Clarification Act and an Inter-agency Taskforce on Psychedelic Medicines and Therapies

Martin R. Steele, Lynnette A. Averill, PhD, Brett M. Waters, Esq

My name is Martin R. Steele, and I am a retired Lieutenant General in the United States Marine Corps., a Vietnam-era combat Veteran, and Chief Executive Officer of Reason for Hope. I served on the Commission on Care during the Obama Administration (nominated by Senator Mitch McConnell), was twice nominated by President Trump to serve as the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and I am now leading the VMHLC in what I consider to be the most significant mental health policy and advocacy initiative of my lifetime. The Right to Try Clarification Act is the first in a series of forthcoming bills that VMHLC plans to lead as part of our fight to prevent suicide and deaths of despair – not only for Veterans – but for all Americans – through increased access to safe and affordable psychedelic-assisted therapy. While the Right to Try Clarification Act is the narrowest in scope of our planned forthcoming legislation, it is also the most urgent, as it seeks to open access to MDMA- and psilocybin-assisted therapy for a small subset of Veterans who are at serious risk of suicide and have exhausted all other options... continue reading.