Every day, between 17 and 44 U.S. veterans die by suicide. Many are fighting PTSD, TBI, depression, and substance use disorders with too few effective treatment options.

AB 1103 will remove unnecessary red tape that slows psychedelic research in California, accelerating the development of new and more effective treatments.

Take action now. Use the template below to email Governor Gavin Newsom and urge him to sign AB 1103.

Email: Leg.unit@gov.ca.gov

Together, we can change the future of veteran mental health care.

Email Template

Make a copy of this document to start your email or copy and paste the text below.

Email to: Leg.unit@gov.ca.gov
CC: Khurshid@vetsolutions.org (Khurshid Khoja, Director of Public Policy, VETS)
Subject Line: SUPPORT: AB 1103 (Ward): Controlled substances research

Letter Title: SUPPORT: AB 1103 (Ward): Controlled substances research

The Hon. Governor Gavin Newsom
1021 O Street, Suite 900
Sacramento, VA 95814
Delivered via email: Leg.unit@gov.ca.gov

Dear Governor Newsom,

I am writing as a [VETERAN/VETERAN’S FAMILY MEMBER/SOMEONE WHO LOVES A VETERAN] to support AB 1103 by Assemblymember Ward. This bill would expedite currently mandated state review and approval of clinical research studies by the Research Advisory Panel of California (RAP-C), without imposing any additional costs on the State. Eliminating unnecessary delays in research will accelerate the development of new and more effective treatments for traumatic brain injuries (TBI), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), treatment-resistant depression (TRD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and opioid and substance use disorders (SUDs). These conditions impact many vulnerable populations in our state — including the third-largest veteran population in the U.S. (after Texas and Florida) — and drive rates of suicide in California.

AB 1103 Will Protect Veteran Lives

U.S. veterans are twice as likely to die by suicide as other Americans, with no less than 17 and as many as 44 veterans lost to suicide every day. For comparison, that figure is higher than the average number of daily U.S. casualties during active military conflicts in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan combined. Our country desperately needs to accelerate the development of more effective treatments for service-related injuries and mental health conditions fueling the disproportionate incidence of suicide among veterans. By passing this legislation, California will not only save the lives of California veterans, but veterans all over the country, and Americans of all walks of life experiencing the conditions driving veteran suicide.

Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions

I learned about AB 1103 through Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions (VETS), which sponsored AB 1103. VETS has supported over 1,200 U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) veterans and veteran spouses legally access psychedelic-assisted therapy (P- AT) treatment abroad, paired with preparation and integration coaching, through VETS’ Foundational Healing Grants program.

P-AT can help lay the foundation for further healing. The treatments funded through VETS are staffed by competently trained healing professionals that observe stringent safeguards and high ethical standards in delivering care, assuring a safe holistic treatment solution for grantees. The model and approach pioneered by VETS has been adopted by many other regional, national and international organizations serving military veterans and first responders.

[OPTIONAL: SHARE A FEW SENTENCES ABOUT YOUR STORY OF BEING A VETS GRANT RECIPIENT, OR YOUR FAMILY’S STORY, HERE, IF YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO SHARE A PERSONAL ANECDOTE IF YOU PREFER NOT TO.]

While charities like VETS do as much as possible with scarce resources to turn the tide on veteran suicide, they simply cannot meet the growing demand from veterans for these treatments through private philanthropy alone. Ultimately the only way to meet this demand is by expediting clinical research into psychedelics, accelerating the availability of safe and regulated psychedelic treatments throughout the U.S., and making them accessible through the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Veterans Health Administration, currently serving 9,000,000 enrolled veterans each year.

AB 1103 updates outdated statutory provisions that delay and halt research. Nearly all research of value to VETS’ mission must be approved by RAP-C. Yet existing statutory requirements that slow the work of RAP-C, slow the approval of research, and ultimately slow the development of life-saving treatments for veterans experiencing suicidality and other mental health conditions.

AB 1103 includes several provisions which were developed in close consultation with the Chair of the RAP-C, Dr. Jennifer Mitchell, which will (1) maintain the proper safety and oversight function of the RAP-C while (2) eliminating statutory burdens that slow the ability of the panel to approve research.

For these reasons, I respectfully urge you to sign AB 1103 when it is on your desk. Thank you for considering this important life-saving legislation.

Sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]

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About VETS

Founded in 2019, Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions (VETS) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization working to end the veteran suicide epidemic by providing resources, research, and advocacy for U.S. military veterans seeking psychedelic-assisted therapies for traumatic brain injury (TBI), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), addiction, and other health conditions. VETS envisions a world where our veterans have access to the most advanced healthcare options to heal from the mental and physical wounds of war. For more information about VETS’ advocacy and research efforts, visit www.vetsolutions.org .