Congressional Psychedelics Report Card: Who Supports and Opposes Legalization
The question of who in Congress will advance or block psychedelic medicine has never mattered more. As states from Oregon to Colorado forge ahead with regulated psilocybin access, federal lawmakers hold the keys to nationwide change. Their votes will determine whether veterans get MDMA therapy, researchers can study psilocybin without bureaucratic obstacles, and whether ketamine clinics can operate with federal clarity.
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Congressional Psychedelics Report Card
The following grades reflect each lawmaker’s legislative actions, bill sponsorships, public advocacy, and voting record on psychedelics policy. An “A” indicates sustained leadership and multiple legislative efforts. A “B” reflects strong support through co-sponsorships and votes. A “C” suggests limited engagement or mixed positions. A “D” indicates opposition, and an “F” reflects active efforts to block reform.
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| Legislator | Party/State | Grade | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rep. Morgan Luttrell | R-TX | A+ | Personal psychedelic therapy experience; authored NDAA psychedelics provision; ongoing legislative leadership |
| Rep. Lou Correa | D-CA | A+ | Co-chair of PATH Caucus; lead sponsor of Innovative Therapies Centers of Excellence Act; years of sustained advocacy |
| Rep. Jack Bergman | R-MI | A+ | Co-chair of PATH Caucus; highest ranking combat veteran in Congress; co-lead on multiple bills |
| Sen. Cory Booker | D-NJ | A | Lead sponsor of Breakthrough Therapies Act; consistent advocacy for rescheduling MDMA and psilocybin |
| Sen. Rand Paul | R-KY | A | Co-sponsor of Breakthrough Therapies Act; physician advocating for reduced research barriers |
| Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez | D-NY | A | First to introduce psychedelics research amendments; multiple co-sponsorships; sustained floor advocacy |
| Rep. Dan Crenshaw | R-TX | A | Authored Douglas Mike Day Psychedelic Therapy Act signed into law; veteran advocate |
| Rep. Ro Khanna | D-CA | A | Consistent co-sponsor on bipartisan psychedelics bills; vocal supporter of research funding |
| Rep. Earl Blumenauer (retired) | D-OR | A | Decades of drug policy reform leadership; sponsored VISIONS Act; fundraised for Oregon psilocybin initiative |
| HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. | Administration | A | Publicly committed to psychedelic therapy approval within 12 months; called FDA suppression of psychedelics unacceptable |
| Rep. Matt Gaetz | R-FL | B+ | Multiple co-sponsorships on psychedelics research amendments; bipartisan collaboration |
| Rep. Nancy Mace | R-SC | B+ | House sponsor of Breakthrough Therapies Act; advocate for veteran access |
| Rep. Madeleine Dean | D-PA | B | Co-sponsor of Breakthrough Therapies Act |
| Rep. Eric Swalwell | D-CA | B | Co-sponsor of Innovative Therapies Centers of Excellence Act |
| Rep. Susie Lee | D-NV | B | Co-sponsor of Innovative Therapies Centers of Excellence Act |
| Rep. Sarah Elfreth | D-MD | B | Recent co-sponsor of Innovative Therapies Centers of Excellence Act |
| VA Sec. Doug Collins | Administration | B | Expressed openness to psychedelic therapies; met with veteran advocates |
| Rep. Lauren Boebert | R-CO | D | Warned of “slippery slope” despite representing state with decriminalized psilocybin |
| Sen. Mike Crapo | R-ID | D | Signed letter urging DEA to keep marijuana in Schedule I; “firmly opposed” to federal legalization; demanded 2% THC cap on banking bill |
| Sen. Tom Cotton | R-AR | D | Actively campaigned against Arkansas marijuana legalization; opposes federal decriminalization; signed anti-rescheduling letter |
| Sen. Marsha Blackburn | R-TN | D | Signed letter urging DEA to reject marijuana rescheduling; voted against loosening federal regulations; co-sponsored bill that weakened DEA enforcement |
| Rep. Andy Biggs | R-AZ | D- | Signed letter urging DEA to keep marijuana in Schedule I; Freedom Caucus member focused on enforcement over reform |
| Sen. James Lankford | R-OK | F | Led bicameral letters opposing marijuana rescheduling; called medical marijuana “just for getting high”; introduced bill to block cannabis tax deductions |
| Rep. Pete Sessions | R-TX | F | Called THC “addictive” and “dangerous”; blocked dozens of marijuana amendments as Rules Committee chair; compared cannabis industry to slavery; leads ongoing anti-rescheduling efforts |
| Rep. Andy Harris | R-MD | F | Attempted to block D.C. psychedelics decriminalization; called psychedelics “very dangerous”; consistent opposition to all drug reform |
RELATED: The Countdown to Approval: The Psychedelic Clinical Trials That Could Reshape Mental Healthcare
The landscape defies easy partisan labels. Texas Republicans and New York Democrats have co-sponsored the same bills. A former Navy SEAL credits ibogaine with saving his life. A progressive icon has championed research funding for years. Understanding these alliances and oppositions helps practitioners, patients, and advocates know where to focus their energy.
The Marijuana-Psychedelics Connection
Lawmakers who oppose marijuana reform almost universally oppose psychedelic reform as well. The coalition that signed letters urging the DEA to keep marijuana in Schedule I reads like a roster of psychedelics opponents. This alignment makes strategic sense from their perspective.
Both marijuana and psychedelics fall under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, classified as having high abuse potential and no accepted medical use.
Legislators who believe that classification is correct for cannabis see no reason to treat psilocybin or MDMA differently.
Rep. Pete Sessions and Sen. James Lankford have built careers opposing any softening of federal drug enforcement. Rep. Andy Harris has blocked both cannabis and psychedelics measures in Washington D.C. The arguments these lawmakers deploy remain consistent across substances.
They cite addiction risks, youth access concerns, and what they characterize as insufficient scientific evidence. For advocates tracking congressional sentiment, a lawmaker’s position on marijuana banking or rescheduling serves as a reliable predictor of their stance on psychedelic therapy legislation.
The reverse also holds true. Members who support the Breakthrough Therapies Act or the PATH Caucus initiatives tend to favor broader drug policy reform. This pattern suggests that shifting attitudes on cannabis may eventually create openings for psychedelic medicine, as lawmakers who evolve on one issue often evolve on the other.
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The Champions: Congress Members Driving Reform
Rep. Morgan Luttrell stands as perhaps the most compelling voice for psychedelic access in Congress. The Texas Republican and former Navy SEAL traveled to Mexico in 2018 for ibogaine therapy after combat trauma left him with debilitating PTSD and multiple suicide attempts. He describes the experience as transformative.
“I had the inability to let the previous part of my life go and understand that my current life is what’s most important,” Luttrell has said. He argues the path forward “needs to be medically based.”
Luttrell co-authored the psychedelics provision in the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, which allocated $10 million for clinical trials involving psilocybin, MDMA, and plant-based therapies for military members with PTSD or traumatic brain injuries. Progressive Democrats Ro Khanna of California and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York co-sponsored the original bill.
Rep. Lou Correa (D-CA) and Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI) co-chair the Congressional Psychedelics Advancing Therapies (PATH) Caucus. In April 2025, they introduced the Innovative Therapies Centers of Excellence Act, which would create at least five innovative therapies centers of excellence designated by the VA to conduct research on MDMA, ibogaine, ketamine, and psilocybin for conditions including PTSD, depression, chronic pain, and substance use disorder.
The Administration Factor
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has emerged as a powerful ally. “This line of therapeutics has tremendous advantage if given in a clinical setting and we are working very hard to make sure that happens within 12 months,” Kennedy recently told Congress. His timeline surprised even bullish supporters.
Kennedy is one of several influential players in the Trump administration who have voiced support for psychedelics as a potential mental health treatment. White House adviser Calley Means wrote that psychedelics “should be an important public policy priority for the United States.”
Veterans lobbying for psychedelic access have met with VA Secretary Doug Collins. “What we’re seeing so far is positive,” Collins told House lawmakers.
The Opposition: Skeptics and Blockers
A coalition of Republican lawmakers has consistently fought drug policy reform. Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) and Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) have emerged as the most active opponents, leading multiple bicameral letters urging the DEA to reject marijuana rescheduling and keep cannabis in Schedule I.
Sessions blocked roughly three dozen marijuana amendments from receiving floor votes during his tenure as House Rules Committee chair. In 2024, he called THC “addictive” and “dangerous to the health and growth of every American.” He has compared the cannabis industry to slavery and continues leading opposition efforts.
Lankford has called medical marijuana “just for getting high” and introduced legislation to block cannabis businesses from taking tax deductions. He and Sessions led a 2023 letter signed by Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Mike Crapo (R-ID), and Representatives Andy Biggs (R-AZ) and others urging the DEA to “reject any effort to remove marijuana from Schedule I.”
Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) has specifically targeted psychedelics reform. In 2020, he attempted to block Washington D.C.’s psychedelics decriminalization ballot initiative, calling it “a bald-faced attempt to just make these very serious, very potent, very dangerous—both short-term and long-term—hallucinogenic drugs broadly available.”
Sen. Tom Cotton actively campaigned against Arkansas’s 2022 marijuana legalization initiative and opposes federal decriminalization. While Sen. Marsha Blackburn has voted against loosening federal drug regulations and signed onto anti-rescheduling letters. Sen. Mike Crapo has stated he remains “firmly opposed to efforts to legalize marijuana on the federal level.”
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) has warned of a “slippery slope” despite representing one of the few states with decriminalized psilocybin. “We see what marijuana has done to Colorado and I hate that,” she has said.
What This Means for Practitioners
The congressional landscape favors research and veteran-focused access over broad decriminalization. The PATH Caucus explicitly states “this caucus is not for advancement of psychedelics for other uses, including legalization for recreational use or decriminalization of the compounds.”
This framing helps explain why Republican veterans and progressive Democrats can work together. The veteran mental health crisis provides common ground. There were over 6,000 veteran suicide deaths annually between 2001 and 2022, driving urgent bipartisan interest in alternative treatments.
For ketamine clinic operators and psychedelic practitioners, the supportive administration stance matters enormously. Federal clarity on scheduling, research funding, and enforcement priorities will shape the industry’s trajectory.
Looking Ahead
The psychedelics policy conversation has shifted remarkably in recent years. A bipartisan group of Representatives introduced the Innovative Therapies Centers of Excellence Act of 2025, which would direct the VA to create at least five dedicated centers studying psychedelic substances.
Opposition remains vocal but increasingly isolated. Most congressional action centers on medical research and veteran access rather than recreational use. This focused approach has built an unlikely coalition spanning ideological lines.
The practitioners and patients who stand to benefit should watch these legislators closely. The bills they sponsor, the amendments they file, and the votes they cast will determine how quickly psychedelic medicine moves from experimental treatment to accepted standard of care.
