Message on ICER Report

Today, on National PTSD Awareness Day, I am especially reminded of the weight this day carries. As a Marine Corps Veteran who served for 16 years, I have witnessed the devastating toll PTSD and suicide have taken on my fellow veterans. More than 6,000 veterans end their lives each year, and over 130,000 have died by suicide since 9/11. This number is staggering—it’s 18 times higher than the total number of US service members killed in post-9/11 war zones.

The urgency of this question is fueled by the fact that billions of dollars and over 20 years of research have done absolutely nothing to curb, much less end, our veteran suicide epidemic. Over 6,000 veterans, most of whom suffered from PTSD, have taken their own lives each and every year since 9/11. The cumulative loss to suicide is more than 130,000 veteran lives and climbing, a number 18 times greater than the 7,054 U.S. servicemembers’ who lost their lives in post-9/11 combat zones.

Given the importance of this day, I was shocked to see ICER choose today to release a critical report on MDMA-Assisted Therapy. It’s widely recognized by policymakers, VA clinicians, and researchers that MDMA-AT is a very promising new treatment for PTSD. Veterans are in desperate need of new effective healing options, and ICER’s report—and its timing—feels intentionally harmful and insensitive.

Juliana Mercer
Director Advocacy & Public Policy
USMC