The House Rules Committee on Monday advanced an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would extend a Department of Defense (DOD) psychedelics research program by six years, while blocking two other drug-related proposals.
The psychedelics amendment—sponsored by Reps. Morgan Luttrell (R-TX), Jack Bergman (R-MI), Derrick Van Orden (R-WI), Mike Ezell (R-MS), Troy Carter (D-LA), Morgan McGarvey (D-KY), Lou Correa (D-CA), Seth Moulton (D-MA), Sarah Elfreth (D-MD), and Michael Rulli (R-OH)—would change "three years" to "nine years" in the 2024 NDAA's annual reporting requirement and extend research funding through September 30, 2033. The original program, signed by then-President Joe Biden and backed by $10 million, directed DOD to create a process for active-duty service members with PTSD or traumatic brain injury to enter clinical trials involving psilocybin, MDMA, ibogaine, 5-MeO-DMT, and "qualified plant-based alternative therapies."
The House Armed Services Committee's NDAA version, approved earlier this month, includes a report urging DOD to examine "access pathways" to psychedelic therapies—citing President Donald Trump's April executive order on psychedelics—and directs the secretary of defense to report by February 1, 2027 on trial data, legal and regulatory requirements for expanded access, and "a proposed timeline for potential pilot activities or expanded clinical research beginning in fiscal year 2027."
The Rules Committee blocked an amendment from Reps. Dave Joyce (R-OH) and Dina Titus (D-NV), co-chairs of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, that would have required the Air Force, Space Force, and Marine Corps to create permanent THC waiver systems for recruits who test positive, matching processes already in place at the Army and Navy. The proposal would also have directed DOD to assess contacting previously rejected enlistees and produce a 180-day report on waiver policies. A nearly identical measure passed the House last year but was not enacted.
Also blocked was a bipartisan amendment from Reps. Madeleine Dean (D-PA) and Nancy Mace (R-SC)—similar to a standalone bill they filed late last year—that would have amended the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to allow the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to register doctors to administer Schedule I drugs, including psilocybin and MDMA (both FDA-designated breakthrough therapies), to patients with life-threatening conditions under the right to try law. In April, the Army separately updated its policy so recruits with a single marijuana possession or drug paraphernalia conviction no longer need a waiver to enlist.
