#17: Marcus Capone: Psychedelic Access for Veterans

Welcome back to The Trip Report Podcast, a production of Beckley Waves, a Psychedelic Venture Studio.Today, I am speaking with Marcus Capone, co-founder of Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions (VETS), a non-profit that seeks to create access to psychedelic medicine for veterans of the Armed Forces. He is also co-founder and CEO of Tara Mind, a public benefit corporation that is making psychedelic medicine a widely available employee benefit.Whenever you hear about federal programs, senate bills, or congressional initiatives for psychedelics, two things usually stand out: first, they are often bipartisan efforts—a rarity in the current political environment—and second, they seek to fund research or access for veterans.In my experience, the Veterans-as-champions-of-psychedelic-medicine narrative catches a lot of people by surprise when they first hear about it, but quickly connect the dots as they recollect the staggering numbers of veteran suicides that periodically make the news.As Marcus and I discuss, having veterans as proponents of Psychedelic Medicine is one of the biggest levers changing the public perception of these compounds. Unfortunately, access through the Veterans Health Administration is not possible due to their illegal status, and so many vets seeking treatment have to leave the country they fought for to access the medicine that they need.This is where VETS and other veteran-focused non-profits come in.In this conversation, Marcus and I discuss:* His military career and the difficulty of his post-deployment return to civilian life* The origin story of Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions * The persistent stigma of psychedelics in the military community* The power of Ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT* The challenge of Non-profit work* Tara Mind and the future of integrating Psychedelics into healthcareAnd now, I bring you my conversation with Marcus Capone.Listen to the episode on Substack, Spotify, Google or Apple.Credits:* Hosted by Zach Haigney * Produced by Zach Haigney, Erin Greenhouse, and Katelin Jabbari* Find us at thetripreport.com* Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube* Theme music by MANCHO Sounds, Mixed and Mastered by Rollin Weary This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thetripreport.com