Last week, two U.S. legislators announced that they will co-chair the Congressional Psychedelics Advancing Clinical Treatments (PACT) caucus, a congressional member organization that aims to move psychedelics research forward.

Rep. Lou Correra, a Democrat from California, and Jack Bergman, a Republican from Michigan, formed the caucus to help clear the way for clinical research on psychedelics for mental health issues, such as drug and alcohol use disorders, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and others.

Psilocybin, LSD, MDMA, and other psychedelics are illegal, federally scheduled drugs, which creates barriers for research. The PACT caucus intends to seek more National Institutes of Health funding to support researching these drugs for therapeutic applications.

Additionally, the PACT caucus intends to spearhead conversations around the evidence-based therapeutic potential of these substances, both within Congress and with the public through media and congressional briefings. There is a growing body of evidence that shows psychedelics have promise as alternative mental health therapies. Additionally, public sentiment about psychedelics is shifting, as evidenced by the success of decriminalization movements over the last several years. However, disseminating the latest research and developments in psychedelic medicine to Congress requires an organized effort—which is exactly what the PACT caucus hopes to do.

 

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While continued research and public education on psychedelics are important steps toward legalization, that’s not the primary goal of the caucus. PACT does not advocate for legalization and decriminalization for personal and recreational use. Instead, the caucus seeks to drive the conversation around psychedelics’ potential as part of the solution for the widespread mental health crisis in the United States.