Vivek Ramaswamy is a Republican presidential candidate for 2024. He says that, if elected, he will remove federal restrictions on marijuana, and psychedelics like ayahuasca, and MDMA, to allow access to military veterans with serious mental illnesses.
The entrepreneur previously spoke about his support for reforming psychedelics, but now he is calling for the descheduling of psychedelics as part of his Veterans Policy Platform that’s intended to take a holistic approach towards the high rates substance abuse and suicide among the veteran population.
Ramaswamy 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 the plan, which was first reported by Breitbart News.
Today, more than 20 (and some estimate, up to 40+) veterans commit suicide *every day. The GOP candidate said that this was wrong and un-American in a post on social media. “I support decriminalizing ayahuasca & ketamine to help veterans with PTSD and prevent the epidemics of fentanyl & suicidal thoughts.”
Over 20 veterans (and some estimate as high as 40+) commit suicide every day. * This is un-American & wrong. I support decriminalizing ayahuasca & ketamine to help veterans with PTSD and prevent an epidemic of fentanyl & suicidal thoughts. We also need to improve the…
Vivek RAMASWAMY (@VivekGRamaswamy ) 11/12/2023
This isn’t a brand-new proposal. The candidate has previously stated that he supports “decriminalizing ayahuasca & ketamine to veterans suffering from PTSD in order to prevent an epidemic of fentanyl & suicidal thoughts,” and he is a critic of federal prohibitions on marijuana.
Ramaswamy voted against the state-level initiative in Ohio, despite supporting federal legalization. This surprised many, as he had previously backed federal legalization. He was upset that the measure allocated some cannabis tax revenues for social equity programmes, but he also expressed opposition to states preempting Federal law.
He said: “I do not like the conflict between federal and state laws, so I do not want people to fear that the government could still weaponize the law even if they are engaging in legal activities at the state-level.” “That is a recipe for dangerous federal overreach” and “selective prosecuting.”
The opportunistic businessman has not been the first to make contradictory comments about his drug policies. He often seems to backtrack on bolder reform calls and challenges reporting as he tries different proposals.
On a page of his campaign website dedicated to debunking fake news, the candidate responded to a Fox News article that described his position as being in favor of legalizing “hard drugs.”
The site states that Vivek “supports the decriminalization of ayahuasca and ketamine therapies for veterans suffering from PTSD to prevent the epidemic fentanyl, suicide, and fentanyl.”
Ramaswamy also caused confusion in the reform community when he called on the federal government to increase the Drug Enforcement Administration . In a speech on domestic policy in September, he outlined a proposal that would fire 75 percent of federal employees and close key agencies. However, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) would be exempt from this, while FBI agents would be transferred to the drug agency.
Michigan Marijuana Tax Revenue Grew By 49% Over The Past Year, Surpassing Alcohol Earnings
The post Ramaswamy’s Veterans Plan Included Marijuana and Psychedelics To Treat PTSD first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
