Vail Health’s Behavioral Health Innovation Center Director Testifies Before Congress on Psychedelic Therapy

Dr. Charles Raison, executive director of Vail Health’s Behavioral Health Innovation Center, spoke to the U.S. House of Representatives’ bipartisan Addiction, Treatment and Recovery Caucus in Washington, D.C. on July 22. Raison, a psychiatrist who has been researching psychedelics since 2015, served as an expert during a briefing organized by the Maryland-based nonprofit Brain Futures. This organization focuses on mental health treatments and advocates for the use of psychedelic therapies.

Currently, the federal government classifies psychedelics as Schedule I substances under the Controlled Substances Act of 1971. This classification indicates that these drugs are considered addictive, dangerous, and lacking any medical benefit.

However, Raison expresses minimal concerns regarding the risk of addiction tied to natural medicine therapies. He argues that psychedelics are less addictive than substances like alcohol and marijuana. “It seems sort of paradoxical, but these drugs seem to have a much more powerful anti-addictive effect than they have any risk of addiction,” Raison said. “Studies now suggest that they are more effective than standard addictive treatments for smoking (and) drinking.“

Raison emphasized the importance of well-trained facilitators in ensuring the success of natural medicine therapies. He also noted that federal restrictions prevent large healthcare systems from participating in psychedelic programs, due to risks like losing Medicare coverage. He advocated for changing the legal classification of psychedelics to remove these barriers.

Vail Health is currently conducting the OPTIMIZE study, which explores the effects of psilocybin, a naturally occurring psychedelic compound found in certain species of mushrooms, on depression. Participants receive a single dose in a controlled setting, with outcomes tracked through voice diaries and behavioral assessments. Raison believes psychedelics could be one of the most groundbreaking tools in modern mental health care.

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