Rep. Lou Correa spearheads new caucus studying psychedelic treatments

A new bipartisan congressional caucus, spearheaded in part by Rep. Lou Correa, is set to study how psychedelic drugs can be used to treat substance abuse or mental health crises.

The caucus — led by Correa, D-Santa Ana, and Michigan Rep. Jack Bergman, a Republican and U.S. Marine Corps veteran — will “promote rigorous and urgent clinical research into the efficacy of psychedelics in treating brain health conditions, in accordance with the law.”

The group, dubbed the PACT (Psychedelics Advancing Clinical Treatment) Caucus, will consider the use of these drugs for medicinal purposes only — not recreational.

Psychedelics have a broad definition but generally refer to drugs that could alter someone’s state of mind or influence mood, stress or memory. Examples include psilocybin, a hallucinogenic known as “magic mushrooms,” and plant-based ayahuasca.

The new caucus was the catalyst of advocacy by a group of people who had alcohol, drug or mental health issues who found paths to recovery through the use of psychedelics like mushrooms, Correa said. A Navy SEAL did one treatment and was “cured of all these cravings for self-medication,” the congressman recounted.

“We have decorated veterans who have fought for our country and have issues with these invisible wounds they bring back from the battlefield,” Correa said in an interview. “When you look at the billions of dollars that are spent on halfway houses and treatments … we are failing miserably every day, and you have something new that promises a major breakthrough, how can you not look at it?”

The PACT Caucus said it will increase awareness of psychedelic science and research among members of Congress, hold regular briefings and support increased federal funding for psychedelic science, medicine and research.

“Despite the initial promising results, so much more research is needed to determine efficacy and durability of these findings, to better understand the psychotherapy needed to support psychedelic journeys and to identify who can safely benefit,” said Dr. Rachel Yehuda, director of the Center for Psychotherapy and Trauma Research and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

“But to date, it has been difficult for investigators to properly vet these treatments because conducting the trials with Schedule 1 compounds involve so many hurdles,” Yehuda said, referring to substances and drugs defined by the DEA as having no accepted medical use but a high potential for abuse.

Bergman, the Republican co-chair of the caucus, said he has witnessed the havoc post-traumatic stress has caused his fellow veterans and their families.

“Our job is to find solutions to these problems, and if psychedelic-assisted therapy can help treat or even fully cure someone of their PTSD, we need to take a closer look at these life-saving therapies,” Bergman said.

An effort by California lawmakers in Sacramento to decriminalize certain hallucinogenic substances — which later was amended to calling on California’s Department of Public Health to study the regulation and use of specific drugs — ultimately failed earlier this year.

Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, is “looking into” reintroducing the measure to decriminalize those substances, not just for medicinal purposes, in this new legislative session, his spokesperson said in an email.

Psychedelics are, under federal law, illegal — albeit, some states and local governments have considered or adopted legalization policies.

Oregon became the first state to legalize psilocybin, used for centuries in certain cultures, in 2020; the rulemaking process is set to be finalized this month. And in the most recent election, Colorado voters OK’d allowing people who are at least 21 to use psychedelics as well as creating state-regulated “healing centers.”

Ann Arbor, Michigan; Washington, D.C.; and Santa Cruz are among the cities that have decriminalized psychedelics.

Concern remains, however.

A special committee of lawmakers in Missouri, convened to study veteran mental health and suicide, last month opted against recommending psychedelics as a treatment option.

And in Maine, lawmakers also rejected a bill to allow psilocybin treatment earlier this year.

“While there may be early evidence for the use of psilocybin to assist in treatment of refractory depression and PTSD, this research is ongoing and there are not currently clinical practice guidelines or FDA-approved treatments to ensure safe and appropriate use of the therapy,” Dr. Nirav D. Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a letter to legislators, specifically advocating for further research before the state adopts a formal structure for the psychedelics’ administration.

The goal of the new congressional caucus is to do just that: promote research and advocate for more funding for the National Institutes of Health to conduct a clinical trial and speed up analysis on the use of psychedelics for medical treatment.

“The impetus of all of this is we have individuals with compelling testimony of this psychedelic mushroom treatment. If what they’re saying is half true, it’s worth a shot to make it legal for research,” said Correa, who represents the 46th congressional district covering Anaheim, Fullerton and Santa Ana.

“We owe it to our constituents and country to look at these kinds of treatments.”

Kaitlyn Schallhorn is a politics and city editor with the Orange County Register. She previously served as the editor in chief of The Missouri Times, overseeing print, television, and newsletter coverage of the State Capitol. Throughout her career, Kaitlyn has covered political campaigns across the U.S., including the 2016 presidential election, and humanitarian aid efforts in Africa and the Middle East. She studied journalism at Winthrop University in South Carolina.