Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), former President Donald Trump’s vice presidential running mate, says he’s “fascinated” by the therapeutic potential of psychedelics, asking podcaster Joe Rogan for advice on a creating a possible “pathway” for providing access to substances such as MDMA and psilocybin for military veterans with serious mental health conditions.
Vance told Rogan that his overall philosophy on marijuana and psychedelics is “live and let live,” and he reaffirmed that he feels people should not be criminalized over cannabis. The podcast host also gave the senator a history lesson on marijuana prohibition that Vance said he had “no idea” about.
While the candidate has previously discussed his position that states should have the right to set their own cannabis policies, this is the first time he’s publicly weighed in on laws around psychedelics, though he made clear he’s “not committing to some public policy” and needs to “be careful with this stuff, especially six days from an election.”
After Rogan described research on the medical value of psychedelics and the lack of access to such substances under the current federal drug scheduling statute—as well as the racially discriminatory history of marijuana prohibition—Vance said he “had never heard about” those particular points.
“I’m a veteran too. I spent four years in the Marine Corps—went to Iraq, went to Haiti once,” he said. “What is the pathway, I guess? Or what do you think should happen for veterans accessing psychedelics?”
Rogan told the senator “there are so many anecdotal stories about veterans experiencing relief that I think it should be available to them, especially veterans.”
Vance followed up, inquiring about whether psychedelics access would be incumbent on approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“If it had a medical use, presumably, you would get it off of Schedule I [of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA)]. So why aren’t we—I’m just fascinated by this. This is the first time I’ve heard about this,” the senator said.
Hellbound and Down 