GOP Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy Wants Legal Psychedelics And Cannabis For PTSD

Vivek Ramaswamy, Republican presidential candidate who famously said he did not approve of Ohio’s cannabis initititive last week despite expressing support for federal legalization, is now saying that if elected he will remove federal restrictions on marijuana and psychedelics. He says he wants to take a “a holistic approach” especially to help veterans during and after their time in service.

“As President, I will take a holistic approach to ensure Veterans receive the care they need to live long, flourishing lives — starting during their service and continuing in the decades that follow,” according to Ramaswamy’s plan, which his campaign released on Veterans Day in New Hampshire.

Veteran Suicides

“Today, over 20 (and by some estimates, 40+) veterans die by suicide per day. This is wrong & un-American,” Ramaswamy said on Twitter/X. “I support decriminalizing ayahuasca & ketamine for veterans suffering from PTSD, to prevent the epidemic of fentanyl & suicide.”

The 37-year-old biotech multimillionaire said he would “de-schedule schedule 1 drug restrictions that stand in the way of Veterans with PTSD enjoying access to substances that can assist in their treatment and recovery: marijuana, ayahuasca/DMT [Dimethyltryptamine], and MDMA [methylenedioxymethamphetamine]” according to Ramaswamy’s plan his campaign shared with Breitbart.

The plan for assisting in-service veterans includes creating “two-week decompression buffers” through the Department of Defense (DOD) in which service members who were serving abroad in combat would be ensured that they “are able to slowly reacclimate to life away from the frontlines.”

Ramaswamy will also advocate for the DOD to implement guidelines encouraging servicemembers “to report PTSD under privacy protections.” Under current guidelines, he says too many servicemembers do not report their PTSD due to fear of “permanent red-flags.” 

Ramaswamy has said in the past that he is in favor of federal legalization of marijuana and supports decriminalizing ayahuasca & ketamine for veterans.

Speaking on Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast in August, Ramaswamy said federal policy on cannabis was a farce. “It’s a joke, it’s a farce,” he said.