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New Netflix Documentary Shows How Psychedelics Help Military Veterans Heal Trauma

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4 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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Swiss company launches nationwide price comparison tool for cannabis

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7 hours ago

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March 2, 2026

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Evidena Care AG is one of the leading Swiss telemedicine platforms and specialized medical practices for medical cannabis. The company currently supports more than 2,000 patients across the country. Under the direction of Dr. Nicolai Berardi and two other specialist doctors, Evidena Care has focused on evidence-based, responsible and patient-centered treatment for the past two years.

Now, Evidena Care is launching a nationwide online comparison portal for medical cannabis products. The platform is designed for patients who already have a valid medical prescription and want a clear and reliable view of the market. For the first time in Switzerland, patients can directly compare products and prices from the country’s largest pharmacies in one place.

Medical cannabis plays an essential role in the treatment plans of many patients. At the same time, prices can vary significantly between pharmacies, even when the products contain the same levels of active ingredients. As these costs are often not covered by health insurance, or only partially covered, many patients have a heavy financial burden. The new portal addresses this issue by bringing transparency to a market that until now has been difficult to navigate.

The platform provides an overview of available products and dosages, clearly lists the active ingredient content, such as THC and CBD levels, and displays the current prices of leading Swiss pharmacies. Patients can directly compare options and make informed decisions that help optimize their therapy costs, without compromising medical guidance.

“Patients should not be victims of non-transparent pricing structures,” says Dr. Nicolai Berardi, CEO of Evidena Care AG. “We are creating transparency with our comparison portal, strengthening the self-responsibility of those affected and promoting fair competition in the interests of patients.”

The portal is only for people with a valid prescription. It serves as a true information tool and supports cost optimization in an existing therapy supervised by a physician.

For more information:
Evidena Care AG
Email: (email protected)
https://evidena.care/










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Virginia Lawmakers Advance Marijuana Resentencing Bills As Push To Legalize Commercial Sales Also Nears Finish Line

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7 hours ago

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March 2, 2026

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Virginia’s House and Senate lawmakers have advanced a pair of bills with amendments that would allow people with prior marijuana convictions to be sentenced.

Members of the Senate and House Judiciary Committees on Monday approved alternate versions of the reform bill in opposite chambers, setting the stage for bicameral negotiations as the measures move through the legislative process.

Broadly, the legislation introduced in both chambers would create a process to consider changing the sentences for people incarcerated or on community supervision for certain crimes involving the possession, manufacture, sale or distribution of marijuana.

The Senate panel approved it HB 26 In a 9-6 vote by Del. Rozia Henson (D), with revisions largely consistent with the House bill, SB 62that is being backed by Senate President Pro Tem Louise Lucas (D). passed on the floor last month before going Home.

Senators have now referred the House measure to the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee for further consideration.

There are some differences between the sizes of the chambers. The House-passed legislation includes minors who would be eligible for relief from marijuana-related convictions, clarifies that judges would only consider convictions for cannabis offenses and specifies that the reform would include people with marijuana-related probation violations.

Both proposed bills apply to people with convictions or convictions for conduct that occurred before July 1, 2021, when a state law legalizing personal possession and home cultivation of marijuana went into effect.




As for the Senate bill, which clean up The House committee’s 15-7 vote Monday would have eliminated more categories of people who could be eligible for the sentence as an alternative, and would add a longer list of violent crimes that make people with cannabis convictions ineligible for relief.

Against the background of these recent developments, Virginia bills to legalize the sale of recreational marijuana have moved forward in the way of implementing laws. Last week, members of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate modified and advanced the proposals of the opposite chambers on the subject.

Members of the Virginia Legislature Last month, he took action on multiple marijuana bills during a major deadline—advance proposals to legalize the sale of cannabis, provide a way to punish previous marijuana convictions, as well as other laws to allow access to medical cannabis for seriously ill patients in hospitals.

Despite their stark differences, the two chambers’ trade sales bills have largely aligned with recommendations released by the legislature in December. Joint Committee to Oversee the Transition to the Commonwealth Retail Cannabis Market.

Meanwhile, some members of the GOP have aligned ideologically with their Democratic colleagues throughout this legislative process, breaking with the majority of their caucus. in favor of creating a regulated market for adults to buy cannabis.

Since legalizing cannabis ownership and home cultivation in 2021, Virginia lawmakers have been working to establish a commercial marijuana market– Only for those efforts to stall under former Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), who twice vetoed measures sent to his desk by the Legislature.

Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D), on the other hand, supports legalizing the sale of marijuana to adults.

Separately last month, the Virginia House patients passed a bill to allow the use of medical marijuana in hospitals. It would require health care facilities to implement policies “to address the situation in which an eligible patient is authorized to use medical cannabis.”

The Senate passed various pieces of legislation use of medical cannabis in healthcare facilities last month

—
It’s Marijuana Time tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelic and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters by pledging at least $25/month, you’ll get access to our interactive maps, charts, and audio calendars so you never miss a development.

Learn more about our marijuana bill tracking and become a Patreon supporter to gain access
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Meanwhile, the Virginia House passed the bill earlier this month Protecting the rights of parents who use marijuana by complying with state laws.

Del. According to the proposal by Nadarius Clark (D), a parent or guardian’s own use of cannabis “shall not serve as a basis for a finding of abuse or neglect of a child unless other facts establish that its possession or consumption causes or produces physical or mental injury to the child.”

“A person’s legal possession or consumption of substances permitted (under state marijuana law) shall not serve as a basis for limiting custody or visitation unless other facts establish that such possession or consumption is not in the best interest of the child,” reads the text of HB 942.

Separately, the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry has published a new defining workplace protections for cannabis users.

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State counties could tax medical marijuana sales under a new House bill

Published

1 day ago

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March 1, 2026

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A bill that would allow Oklahoma counties to impose a tax on retail marijuana sales has passed a committee in the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

Under the Oklahoma Legislature, House Bill 3314, authored by Rep. Ryan Eaves, R-Atoka, would allow counties to impose a tax of 15 percent of the impact of public utilities within county boundaries. The bill is similar to Senate Bill 1125, introduced by state Sen. Dusty Deevers, R-Elgin, in the Oklahoma Senate during the 2025 legislative session. SB 1125 would allow counties and municipalities to levy an excise tax on medical marijuana.

HB3314 passed the House County and Municipal Government Committee on a 6-0 vote, and now moves to the Government Oversight Committee for further consideration. The invoice does not automatically generate tax. If a county chooses to join, it must first be approved by a majority of the county’s voters in a special election. The bill also exempts marijuana grown on private property by individuals and not sold.

“Countries are the ones dealing with the daily impact of marijuana sales,” Eaves said. “This allows local communities to decide for themselves whether they want to allocate a portion of that revenue to law enforcement, first responders and improving problem properties.”

Read more at News 9










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