DoD to launch MDMA therapy trial for 186 soldiers
SkimNews Take
The DoD's direct funding and deployment of MDMA therapy, rather than simply endorsing it, signals an institutional commitment to psychedelics for specific, high-value applications beyond traditional mental health treatment.
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- Department of Defense approved two MDMA‑assisted therapy studies that will enroll 186 active‑duty service members with PTSD, with dosing slated for next year.
- Sean O’Keefe, deputy under secretary of war for personnel and readiness, highlighted the research in a January letter and a new cohort of DoD and VA therapists will start psychedelic‑assisted therapy training next week.
- Walter Reed National Military Medical Center will receive a $4.9 million DoD grant to treat 91 service members with three MDMA doses over ten months, with participants barred from deployment during the study.
- Emory University, partnering with the University of Texas Health Science Center, also secured a $4.9 million grant for a parallel MDMA trial, with volunteer recruitment beginning later this year.
- Rick Doblin, president of MAPS, noted that MDMA therapy can increase relapse risk if patients return to stressful environments, and highlighted broader concerns about using the drug to enhance combat readiness.
- Morgan Luttrell, a Navy SEAL‑turned‑congressman, championed the research, securing funding through the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act and later standing beside Donald Trump for an executive order expanding psychedelic access to veterans.
- MAPS has trained 55 therapists for MDMA‑assisted therapy in Ukraine, and Israel plans a 168‑participant MDMA group‑therapy trial for victims of the Oct 7 Hamas attack, indicating broader interest beyond the U.S. military.
Why it matters: Veterans and active‑duty soldiers will receive a new evidence‑based PTSD treatment, and the DoD will collect data on whether psychedelic therapy can keep troops combat‑ready; the studies also raise ethical concerns about returning recovered soldiers to the front lines in future.
