Wednesday, February 22nd, 2023 from 12:00-1:30pm PST

As the benefits of psychedelics’ for the treatment of mental health disorders are continuously studied, many organizations are advocating for accessibility to these medicines for those who suffer severe cases. Reason for Hope and the Veteran Mental Health Leadership Coalition have been involved in several federal advocacy initiatives over the last year in regards to MDMA and psilocybin for the treatment of various mental health disorders suffered by veterans. Who and what is the Veteran Mental Health Leadership Coalition? How did it come about? What are some of the coalition’s goals? What federal advocacy have they been involved with over the last year? What is the strategic connection between these initiatives and why is it important for the broader community to understand? What can and should the religious use community be doing to better engage the federal government? Join this conversation between Brett Waters, who is the co-founder and executive director of Reason for Hope and co-founder of the Veteran Mental Health Leadership Coalition, and Bia Labate, who is the Executive Director of the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines.

Brett Waters is the co-founder and executive director of Reason for Hope and co-founder of the Veteran Mental Health Leadership Coalition. Both organizations focus on policy and advocacy for safe and affordable access to psychedelic-assisted therapy to prevent suicide and other deaths of despair. Reason for Hope is named in memory of Brett’s mother, Sherrie Hope Waters, who he lost to suicide five years ago during his first year practicing law at Winston & Strawn. Prior to founding Reason for Hope, Brett served as the Policy and Advocacy Chair for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, NYC Chapter. He has a J.D. from New York University School of Law.

Dr. Beatriz Caiuby Labate (Bia Labate) is a queer Brazilian anthropologist based in San Francisco. She has a Ph.D. in social anthropology from the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil. Her main areas of interest are the study of plant medicines, drug policy, shamanism, ritual, religion, and social justice. She is Executive Director of the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines and serves as Public Education and Culture Specialist at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). She is also Visiting Scholar at Naropa University’s Center for Psychedelic Studies and Advisor at the Veteran Mental Health Leadership Coalition. Dr. Labate is a co-founder of the Interdisciplinary Group for Psychoactive Studies (NEIP) in Brazil and editor of its site. She is author, co-author, and co-editor of twenty-six books, two special-edition journals, and several peer-reviewed articles (https://bialabate.net).

How Can we Advance Psychedelic Community Coalition Building, Strategic Advocacy and Engagement with the Federal Government?