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New Netflix Documentary Shows How Psychedelics Help Military Veterans Heal Trauma

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7 months ago

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“Too many treatments fix the Band-Aid…but psychedelics get into your subconscious.”

By Josh Kasoff, Filter

MAny veteran in the United States suffers endless suffering, long after they return home, from conditions related to their traumatic experiences. This manifests itself in tragic ways.

But the psychedelic renaissance brings new hope to this situation, and sparks broader reform where veterans-friendly legislation can help. open the door for wider access. the movie Waves and WarReleasing on Netflix on November 3rd, it will increase the public’s exposure to dire problems and potential solutions.

The documentary, which premiered at the 2024 Telluride Film Festival, details the psychedelic treatment journeys of three Navy SEALs: Marcus Capone, DJ Shipley and Matty Roberts.

“We’re so proud to have made this movie,” Jon Shenk, who co-directed the film with Bonni Cohen, told the audience at a recent screening of the Massachusetts-based veteran nonprofit Home Base. “Marcus was a 13-year-old Navy SEAL who suffered multiple (traumatic brain injuries) and concussions and was living with the consequences of that devastating effect on his mental and physical health. He tried all the pills and conventional therapies. They found this alternative therapy involving psychedelics, and it really saved him.”

Another screening I attended recently was hosted by the Alexander Grass Humanities Institute at Johns Hopkins University, at the Hopkins Bloomberg Institute in Washington. Johns Hopkins, with its Center for Psychedelia and Consciousness Research, has been one of the pioneers in this space since 2000. In addition to post-traumatic stress, the department is researching psychedelic treatments for alcohol use disorder (AUD) and smoking cessation, among others.

On screen, the three veterans candidly share painful memories of serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. They suffered frequent nightmares, ambushes, a gunshot wound for which Roberts received a Purple Heart, and Operation Red Wings, after experiencing the events of 2005 in which 19 US troops were killed by Taliban forces.

Many of the scars never healed, and for Capone in particular, the resulting health problems began to cause problems with his family. None of the therapy and medication recommended by the VA was helping, and her condition worsened.

“My mental state has declined. I have tried to hide this for the past two years, but it is very obvious to those close to me that I am struggling in many aspects of my life,” Capone wrote in his letter requesting medical retirement from the Army, part of which he read. Waves and War.

“The audience was deeply moved by the stories of Marcus Capone and his fellow Navy Seals, the efforts of Marcus’ wife Amber, and the ongoing struggles of our military veterans,” said Dr. Virginia Jewiss, DC panel moderator and professor at the Humanities Institute. The filter after the event “We were all shocked to learn of the high suicide rates in the military.”




Jewiss also praised the film’s “creative use of animation to transport the viewer into a psychedelic experience.”

There seemed to be no hope for Capone until his wife learned about the psychedelic treatment options being offered in clinics in Mexico. The therapies used ibogaine and DMT, two natural psychedelics banned under Schedule I of the US Controlled Substances Act.

Capone was scared, but after persuasion and finally an ultimatum from his wife and family, he went to Mexico.

He found the treatment incredibly effective. He described gaining new positive perspective or closure on past traumas, such as the drowning death of a close SEAL friend. He believes that is unlikely to happen through VA-approved therapy.

“To all our friends who are suffering,” he told his wife after the trip, “we must present this to them so they can get better.”

In 2019, Marcus and Amber Capone founded the non-profit VETS (Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions). Both Shipley and Roberts are among more than 1,200 people who have funded psychedelic treatments.

“We can’t fulfill the request,” Capone told PBS News. “We’re inundated with requests. I’d say we can accept about one in 10.”

Advocates have long urged that veterans and others who need it should be able to receive psychedelic treatment without the expense and hardship of having to leave the country.

There are signs that they are being overtaken. In December 2024, it was announced that the Department of Veterans Affairs would fund the first study of psychedelic-assisted therapy since the 1960s, using MDMA for veterans with PTSD and AUD. Recently published VA research is also investigating MDMA and psilocybin for PTSD, treatment-resistant depression and anxiety disorders.

During the film’s animated sequence, three SEALs describe their experiences, using ibogaine and DMT, to overcome or achieve inner peace not only with the trauma of war, but also with traumatic life events long before they enlisted.

“It gets to the root of how ibogaine is affecting your daily life,” Capone told PBS News. “Too many treatments fix the Band-Aid…but psychedelics get into your subconscious.”

“Mexico beat me,” Roberts tells her therapist at the end Waves and War. “But I could feel a connection to everything.”

This the article Originally published by the author The filteran online magazine that deals with drug use, drug policy and human rights from a harm reduction perspective. Keep the filter on Bluesky, X or Facebookand sign up for their newsletter.

user photo Wikimedia/Mushroom Observer.

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Good Behavior dispensary applies to open in Yorkville

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10 hours ago

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June 25, 2026

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A cannabis company called Good Behavior is seeking approval from the city of Yorkville, Illinois, to open a dispensary on a 0.93-acre plot along Saravanos Drive, west of South Bridge Street and south of Stagecoach Trail, becoming the latest entrant in a string of cannabis proposals the city has previously rejected. The company has filed a special-use application with the city and is staking its case on the tax revenue a dispensary would generate for Yorkville.

Full details of the application, including projected tax figures, the company’s ownership structure and details of any board discussions, are available to Shaw Local News Network subscribers. The article, reported by Shaw Local News Network’s Joey Weslo and published on June 23, 2026, notes that cannabis companies had previously failed to get city approval before Good Behavior presented its proposal.

The proposed site places the dispensary in a commercial corridor to the south of the city. Good Behavior’s application requires a special use permit from Yorkville before the project can proceed.

Source: local Shaw










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White House Pushes Congress To Ensure ‘Fair Treatment Of Hemp Products’ By Calling Off Broad Recriminalization Law Set For November

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10 hours ago

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June 25, 2026

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The White House is pressing Congress to take action to prevent the sweeping federal recriminalization of hemp products that will take effect later this year.

The push comes as part of a request to lawmakers for additional funding to help the administration cover costs related to attacks on Iran and “other critical needs,” such as responding to an Ebola outbreak in Africa.

“Furthermore, the Administration is seeking additional authorities that it strongly supports,” White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought wrote to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) on Wednesday.

“These authorities include a review of federal hemp regulations to ensure fair treatment of hemp products consistent with Amendment 54 offered to HR 8646 in the House Rules Committee, or at least an extension of the implementation of the regulatory framework established by Section 781 of Public Law 119-37,” he said.

The amendment Vought was referring to was introduced by Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY). It has kept many hemp products legal that will be re-criminalized this yearadded labeling requirements and implemented new sales taxes, among other regulatory reforms. However, the Rules Committee prevented it from receiving a House vote.

Barr is also preparing to introduce stand-alone legislation on the issue and has said she opposes a coalition of strange bedfellows. the alcohol industry, marijuana businesses and opponents of cannabis legalization.

An appendix to the White House’s letter to Congress this week notes that the hemp-related request would “update the statutory definition of hemp-derived cannabinoid end products to ensure Americans have access to appropriate full-spectrum CBD products while maintaining Congress’ intent to limit the sale of products that pose serious health risks.”

The the administration used hemp-like language Earlier this month, they blocked retention of Barr’s previous amendment to the administration’s policy statement on the farm funding bill.

Jonathan Miller, general counsel of the US Hemp Desk, told Marijuana Moment that the group is “pleased to see the president take a public stance in favor of replacing the hemp ban with a strong regulatory framework, or at least securing an extension of the hemp ban moratorium to give Congress more time to develop regulations.”

“This is an important step in fulfilling Congress’ commitment to help farmers and consumers,” he said.

Hemp derivatives with less than 0.3 percent delta-9 THC by dry weight were made federally legal under the 2018 Farm Bill signed by Trump during his first term. But late last year, he signed new legislation with provisions that will redefine hemp, so that only products with a total of 0.4 milligrams of THC per container will remain legal starting November 12.

in April, the president himself has asked members of Congress to redefine hemp to prevent the recriminalization of full-spectrum CBD products.

“I call on Congress to update the Act so that Americans can continue to have access to the full-spectrum CBD products they trust and support, while upholding Congress’ intent to limit the sale of products that pose health risks,” Trump said in a Truth Social post the same day his administration announced it was moving forward with marijuana reregulation.

“We need to do this RIGHT and FAST, especially for those who have found CBD to help them,” he said. “Also, I’m told it will help our BIG FARMERS that we love and will always be around.”

Industry advocates say the law passed last year not only threatens to ban intoxicating and synthetic cannabinoids, but also take popular full-spectrum CBD products used therapeutically by many Americans off the market.

“ONE IN FIVE adults used it in the past year, and many say it dramatically improved their chronic pain,” the president said in the social media post, adding that hemp-derived CBD “has made a HUGE difference for so many people.”

The administration also referred to a new initiative launched in April Cover up to $500 of hemp-derived products annually for eligible Medicare patients. The program being implemented by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) focuses largely on CBD, but allows products to contain a total of 3 milligrams of THC per serving.

“In December, I signed a very important Executive Order calling for Research and Innovation into Hemp-derived CBD,” Trump said. “Our wonderful Dr. Mehmet Oz moved quickly to follow the Executive Order directive, and set a model in motion for some Seniors this month. But more needs to be done!”

“Please do it, and SOON,” the president said, referring to the sweeping recriminalization congressional fix that will take effect in November. “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

It’s unclear how far Trump wants to reduce the scope of planned federal restrictions on hemp products and what kinds of revised THC rules and limits he’d prefer to sign into law.

Separately, White House officials recently briefed a congressional office on hemp regulation.

In April, Vince Haley, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, and James Braid, assistant to the president for legislative affairs, sent Barr hemp policy suggestions.

“We appreciate your work to advance policy,” the executive order Trump signed in December, which included provisions to protect Americans’ access to CBD products, the staff wrote in a letter to Congress.

“We are submitting draft legislation and comments to your account to address the final statutory definition of hemp-derived cannabinoid products to ensure that Americans have access to adequate full-spectrum CBD products while maintaining Congress’ intent to limit the sale of products that pose serious health risks,” White House officials said, according to a social media screencast. “We are open to discussion and further technical assistance.”

Separately, Anti-marijuana organizations filed a lawsuit against the Medicare hemp CBD coverage policy– but adjudge dismissed the suit last month, ruling they lack standing. Health and Human Services lawyers section. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and CMS director Mehmet Oz He filed a letter requesting that the case be dismissed.

The White House Management and Budget Office has also held a series of meetings a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) CBD product enforcement policy.

The FDA issued the guidance making it clear that it does not intend to interfere Establish a Medicare coverage plan for hemp-derived products.

CMS finalized a rule that will be adopted separately Coverage of certain hemp products, primarily as specialized health-related benefits, through Medicare Advantage the plans

As hemp products become more popular among consumers, some big brands are trying to get in on the action.

The main retailer Target, for example, is expanding its market share of hemp-derived THC beverages. Last year, the company began a pilot program selling cannabis beverages at 10 stores in Minnesota. That apparently went well, and now the company has secured licenses from Minnesota regulators to sell lower-potency edible hemp products — including THC drinks — in 72 stores in the state.

The National Restaurant Association, which represents the industry, just sent a letter to congressional leaders asking for it delaying the federal recriminalization of hemp THC beverages It will come into effect at the end of the year and will be replaced by a regulatory framework that “meets growing market demand while ensuring consumer safety” as an alternative to alcohol in products.

A report from the US Department of Agriculture published in April shows this US farmers grow $3 billion in hemp crops by 2025— 64% increase compared to the previous year.

Read the White House the letter To the conference below:

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Guido de Buijn (Agrofair) consolidates his leading position, whilst fruit and vegetable lawyer Hans Borsboom enters the top five

Published

1 day ago

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June 24, 2026

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FreshPublishers 2026 World Cup Group Stage






Today, it is the Dutch who are making their mark in the Fresh Publishers’ World Cup rankings. Guido de Bruijn, Agrofair’s account manager, correctly predicted the results of the Argentina – Austria and France – Iraq matches, thus consolidating his leadership. He is followed by quality controller Mark Libregts of JNV Produce, while food and agriculture specialist Cindy van Rijswick of Rabobank has once again rounded out the top three. In fourth place is Dirk van den Hurk, aaff’s relationship manager. He has a three-point lead over fruit and vegetable lawyer Hans Borsboom, who is competing under the name HerikLegal United. Interestingly, the main contestants predict very different winners. Guido supports Portugal, Mark supports France, Cindy supports Germany and Dirk and Hans support Spain.

In sixth place is Seth Karstens, who manages retail sales for Gerbera United. Marcos Miedema – again from Agrofair – is seventh, ahead of Andre Filippov from the German company Global Fruit Point. Rob Welles of plant grower Ovata and Italian potato and vegetable trader Luigi Giacomello have slipped a little further up the table and are in ninth and tenth place. However, there is still a long way to go to win the 1,000 euros. Starting with the next four matches: Portugal – Uzbekistan, England – Ghana, Panama – Croatia and Colombia – Congo.

© FreshPublishers



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