When the FDA asked the public what the future of psychedelic therapies should look like, SSDPers showed up with something federal drug policy desperately needs: the voices of people directly affected by the decisions being made.

On September 14, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration convened a major public hearing on the potential future therapeutic use of psychedelic drugs. Researchers, clinicians, patients, veterans, advocates, and other stakeholders were invited to weigh in on some of the biggest questions facing the emerging field: patient safety, provider training, access, and how we collect the data that will shape future policy.

Among those selected to testify were two SSDPers: Appointed Director Eric Jansen and Global Drug Policy Committee Chair Jorge Valderrábano.

They brought different experiences and perspectives to the microphone — and both made the case for psychedelic policy centered on the people it is supposed to serve.

Eric Jansen: Veterans Shouldn’t Need a Passport to Heal

Eric Jansen, an SSDP Appointed Director, Marine Corps combat veteran, and Government Affairs Coordinator for Balanced Veterans Network, brought the perspective of veterans seeking psychedelic therapies when conventional approaches have failed them.

Eric spoke from lived experience. He has traveled outside the United States seeking psychedelic treatments he could not legally access at home.

His testimony put a human face on the consequences of policy decisions that can too easily become abstract: people are already seeking these treatments. The question is whether they can do so openly, safely, and with support — or whether our policies force them underground or across international borders.

For SSDP, that distinction matters. Drug policy is always about people.

Eric testifies at approximately 2:45:00

Jorge Valderrábano: Drug Policy Should Be Shaped by the People Living With It

Jorge Valderrábano, Chair of SSDP’s Global Drug Policy Committee, brought another essential perspective to the FDA: drug policy does not stop at national borders, and the people affected by these decisions deserve a meaningful role in making them.

Through SSDP’s Global Drug Policy Committee, Jorge works to bring young people and directly impacted communities into international drug policy conversations, including at the United Nations.

At the FDA, he brought that same principle home: as governments build new approaches to psychedelics, access, human rights, harm reduction, cultural knowledge, and meaningful participation cannot be afterthoughts.

Who gets access? Who gets left behind? Whose expertise counts? And who actually gets a seat at the table when the rules are written?

Those aren’t side questions. They will determine what the future of psychedelic therapies actually looks like.

Jorge testifies at approximately 3:52:00

From the FDA to Capitol Hill — SSDPers Are Showing Up

This is what SSDP does.

For more than two decades, we have helped people who care about ending the War on Drugs develop the knowledge, skills, networks, and opportunities to get into the rooms where drug policy is made — and change the conversation once they get there.

The FDA hearing was only the beginning.

That evening, SSDP brought together approximately 150 people for THE GATEWAY, connecting the psychedelic community after the hearing and creating space to talk about where the movement goes next.

The next morning, SSDPers took that energy to Capitol Hill. Our network held 17 in-person meetings, participated in several virtual meetings, and educated more than 200 congressional offices about psychedelic policy and research.

Federal agencies. Congress. The United Nations. Our communities.

Wherever decisions about drugs are being made, the people affected by those decisions belong in the room.

And right now, there is another opportunity to make your voice heard.

The FDA Heard From Eric and Jorge. Now It’s Your Turn.

The federal government is accepting public input on the future of psychedelic therapies. This is an opportunity to call for an approach grounded in patient safety, meaningful access, informed consent, cultural competency, and human dignity.

Submit your comment using SSDP’s federal comment tool.

And don’t stop with a comment.

Apply to join SSDP’s Psychedelic Committee and work alongside SSDPers shaping psychedelic policy, research, education, harm reduction, and advocacy.

Donate to SSDP to help us train and mobilize the next generation of drug policy leaders, bring young people and directly impacted communities into the rooms where decisions are being made, and keep pushing psychedelic policy beyond prohibition and toward something that actually makes sense.

Eric and Jorge took the mic. Now add your voice.