Could psychedelics become a bipartisan issue?

(NewsNation) — As psychedelics gain popularity for their apparent efficacy at treating mental health ailments, could the supervised use of the drugs become a bipartisan issue?

Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., recently filed legislation directing the secretary of Health and Human Services to issue guidance on clinical trials for psychedelics.

Days later, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration published its first draft guidance on the use of psychedelic drugs for the potential treatment of certain medical conditions, including psychiatric disorders and addiction.

“Psychedelic drugs show initial promise as potential treatments for mood, anxiety and substance use disorders,” the FDA published last week. “However, these are still investigational products.”

The draft guidance focused on what the FDA calls “classic psychedelics” such as psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide, or LSD, which act on the brain’s serotonin system, as well as “entactogens” or “empathogens” such as methylenedioxymethamphetamine, better known as MDMA or Ecstasy.

With support for psychedelics growing on both sides of the aisle, Crenshaw applauded the FDA’s efforts. The Texas Republican signaled it may be a step in the right direction to help veterans experiencing PTSD.

“We need this guidance to expand clinical trial access so that we can push towards lifesaving psychedelic therapies for our veterans, servicemembers and people living with PTSD, traumatic brain injury and substance abuse disorder,” Crenshaw said Thursday.

Khanna, a California Democrat, added: “I’m proud to co-sponsor this bill to expand the body of research on psychedelic therapies in the hopes of improving the health of many Americans.”

Darienne Page, an Army veteran and former White House official for the Obama administration, told “The Hill on NewsNation” the Department of Veterans Affairs is also conducting studies on psychedelic drugs.

“There are five studies that they’ve conducted to look at the therapeutic and healing processes that go into using psychedelics, to help veterans that are experiencing extreme PTSD and mental health issues,” Page said. “So, there are some really interesting cases to be made for the use of it. But I do think … we should make sure that it’s under the care of a physician.”

Page said she has spoken with some people using psychedelics as way to heal and they say it’s helpful.

“It triggers the brain to move in a different direction that allows for that healing process to take place and for people to be able to process trauma,” Page said. “When you look at veterans who have experienced some of the most significant trauma that anyone in this country could imagine, anything that helps get them to a better place, I think, is a win.”

Others aren’t so sure about psychedelics. NewsNation political contributor Sean Spicer thinks the research and possible rollout should be a slow and detailed process.

“I think we rolled out marijuana way too quick. There’s literally not a city that you can’t go into where it smells like a big bunch of marijuana,” Spicer said. “I just think that we’ve got to be very careful when you’re talking about psychedelics. It’s a very different category of drug and I think that to talk about it from a medical perspective is one thing. Any talk of recreation, to me, is just a no-go.”

With many questions still unanswered, psychedelics are currently not legal at the federal level. They have reportedly been legalized in a dozen jurisdictions across the nation, from the states of Oregon and Colorado to small towns in Massachusetts.

While at least 25 states have considered legislation on psychedelics, JAMA Psychiatry predicted that a majority of states will legalize psychedelics by 2037.

According to a study by the University of Michigan and Columbia University, the use of certain psychedelics has nearly doubled among young adults in recent years.