Democratic lawmaker hosts press conference with retired veteran to unveil legislation
State Rep. Mike McFall (D-Hazel Park) speaks at his Psilocybin PTSD Decriminalization press conference on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, at the Anderson House Office Building in Lansing.
LANSING, Mich., June 25, 2025 — State Rep. Mike McFall (D-Hazel Park) hosted a press conference today with Michael G. Smith Jr., Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army, to introduce House Bill 4686, which would decriminalize psilocybin possession for people with a PTSD diagnosis. The legislation reflects increasing national research and discussion on the real benefits of using psychedelics for PTSD treatment, especially for veterans.
“Our understanding of medicine is constantly evolving, and there has been a shift in treating PTSD with psychedelics over the last decade. Preliminary research is promising that psilocybin has potentially life-changing effects for extended periods of time after treatment,” McFall said. “We need to support our veterans and those suffering from PTSD as much as possible. My bill will help protect those suffering from PTSD so they can use their medicine without fear of the unnecessary legal risks that veterans seeking this treatment currently must navigate.”
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has also started research on veterans and treating their PTSD with psychedelics, including psilocybin. According to the Heroic Hearts Project, preliminary research suggests that over 80% of veterans experienced improvements in their PTSD symptoms after just a single psychedelic program.
“As a veteran with PTSD, I am encouraged by the legislative efforts to decriminalize psilocybin since it has been clinically proven to mitigate and eliminate the symptomatology related to PTSD. This is important considering the vast field of studies over 25 years that identify that PTSD can lead to Coronary Vascular Diseases, Atrial Fibrillation, and Atrial Flutter, which means there is an awesome opportunity to prevent veterans from developing life threatening heart conditions with the treatment of psilocyn,” said Michael G. Smith Jr., Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army (Retired). I have had more success in the mitigation of my PTSD symptoms with microdosing psilocybin than all the talk therapy offered by the VA Healthcare System, and I have done all their therapies available, such as Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PET), Depression, General Anxiety Disorder, and Anger Management.”
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