Supportive veterans urge the passage of Question 4, the ballot question seeking to address the mental health crisis in Massachusetts by establishing access to natural psychedelic medicines
BOSTON, MA, October 10, 2024 – Today, veterans gathered at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Boston Common to voice their support and endorsement for Question 4. The proposal, which will create regulated therapeutic access to natural psychedelic medicines in Massachusetts, has been supported by veterans, elected officials, and advocates across the Commonwealth. Various groups such as the Heroic Hearts Project, the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Department of Massachusetts, and the Veterans Psychedelic Network have also endorsed Yes on Question 4. If passed, Question 4 will help veterans with PTSD, patients with end-of-life anxiety, and others who are suffering from complex mental health challenges.
From the presser:
“The mental health crisis is everywhere around us, and it’s impacting veterans at a troubling rate,” said Emily Oneschuck, U.S. Navy veteran. “I have experienced the positive impacts of psychedelic-assisted therapy firsthand and the effect on my wellbeing was nothing short of transformative. I want my fellow servicemembers to have access to treatments that can help them heal and Question 4 offers a path forward.”
“Serving in the military and being on the front lines can take you to some dark places mentally,” said CJ Loconte, Army officer combat veteran. “It can be really difficult to pull yourself out of that negative feedback loop, even with all of the resources available to veterans. When conventional treatments failed for me, psychedelic-assisted therapy worked. It changed my life and allowed me to live without feelings of guilt or shame.”
“As the spouse of an Iraq War veteran, I have seen the limited efficacy of treatment for members of the military first-hand,” said Jamie Morey, healing advocate and military spouse. “Despite full participation in the VA’s care regimen, my husband is still desperate for relief. His story is one that’s shared by so many other veterans. New options for treatment are critical and the research from some of most prestigious medical institutions, including the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Johns Hopkins, point to psychedelic-assisted therapy as being effective where other treatments are falling short.”
“Fifty years ago, PTSD was not a recognized condition until veterans used their voice to promote research around it,” said Dan Stack, CEO of Disabled American Veterans. “We’ve gotten better at diagnosing and recognizing PTSD, but too many veterans are still suffering. Today we are once again using our voice to support a treatment that research and personal experiences indicate can bring tranquility and healing to our nation’s heroes.”
“We need to open up access to new mental health treatments that can help our veterans heal from their wounds,” said Revere City Councilor Marc Silvestri. “Question 4 will provide options to someone who is in the darkest and most difficult time of their lives. This treatment should be available right here in Massachusetts for those who need and deserve it most.”
The current options for treating mental health issues are limited and often aren’t helpful to veterans with PTSD and patients confronting end-of-life anxiety. Veterans are facing a PTSD crisis. More than 6,000 veterans die by suicide each year and countless more struggle with the trauma from their service. Current laws and medical practice allow dying patients to access medications for physical pain but offer little to address the mental suffering that is part of an end-of-life diagnosis.
Question 4 would allow adults 21 years and older to access natural psychedelic substances whose tremendous therapeutic potential for addressing mental health has been attested to by leading medical research institutions such as Mass General and Johns Hopkins. Retail sales will not be permitted through this ballot question.