How Navy SEALs got psychedelics legalized in the US

And other ecstatic links from around the web

Operation Shroom Doom is go

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There was a moment last week when I thought, that’s it, psychedelics are going to be legalized at the federal level in the next 12 months in the United States, I would bet money on it. It was while listening to the Tucker Carlson show - not something I often do, but this was a particularly interesting interview with Rob O’Neill, a former Navy SEAL and the man who claims to have killed Osama bin Laden.

I admire military virtues and found it fascinating to listen to O’Neill. Afterwards I read up on him - turns out he is a somewhat controversial figure in SEAL World, partly because he made that claim in the first place - the SEAL code dictates ‘I do not seek recognition for my actions’ - and partly because some other SEALs have suggested it was actually another SEAL who shot bin Laden and O’Neill just ‘canoed’ him (ie put two further shots into his head) then built a career on claiming the credit. He’s also had some run-ins with the law, got banned from Delta Airlines for not wearing a mask, and said he’d make young male Harris voters his ‘concubines’. Well…soldiers are humans like the rest of us, even SEALs.

But to the average American, none of that is relevant - this is The Man Who Shot Osama bin Laden, an old-school American Cowboy, a highly-decorated kill machine, and a fascinating person judging by this interview at least. After speaking to Carlson for over an hour about his training and various missions - rescuing Captain Phillips, fighting Al-Qaeda in Iraq - O’Neill spoke for ten golden minutes about how psychedelics help him manage his PTSD.

Yes, The Man Who Killed Bin Laden spoke for ten minutes, on the number 2 podcast and number 5 YouTube show in the US, about how much he was helped by ibogaine and 5-meo-DMT at the Ambio clinic in Mexico. He was even wearing a DMT cap. Endorsements don’t come better than that. Carlson is one of the few in the MAGA camp to express scepticism about psychedelics because he thinks they open you up to demons. They do, O’Neill agreed - and they help chase those demons away.

That’s when I thought, that’s it, that’s the ballgame, the United States is entering a bold national psychedelic experiment, it’s going to be interesting, it’s going to be messy, let’s see how it turns out.

Psychedelic SEALS

When the history of the Psychedelic Renaissance gets written, historians should consider the out-sized role of Navy SEALs in getting psychedelics legalized in the US. This is a tiny elite unit, with only 2500 serving SEALs at any one time, and around 10,000 former SEALs kicking around. Now consider their leading role in the psychedelic renaissance:

• Marcus and Rep. Morgan Luttrell

The twins, both from Texas, both served in the Navy SEALs. Marcus was taken hostage by the Taliban and then rescued - an operation later turned into a movie. Both Luttrells were helped by ibogaine in Mexico (at either Ambio or Mission Within), and have since used their celebrity to promote psychedelic legalization - Morgan Luttrell is a Republican congressman for Texas, and Marcus Luttrell has a media career. Morgan is co-sponsor of the 2023 Mike Day Bill which committed $12 million in DOD funding for psychedelic research.

• Rep. Dan Crenshaw

Rep. Dan Crenshaw is also a former SEAL, also a Congress representative for Texas. I don’t know if he’s done psychedelics himself, but he’s a staunch advocate for them in DC, and co-sponsored the 2023 Pentagon psychedelic research bill with Rep. Luttrell. It was Rep. Crenshaw who recently asked RFK what he planned to do to make psychedelics more available, and Secretary Kennedy replied he would make psychedelic medicine available in the next 12 months.

• Marcus Capone

Marcus Capone was in SEAL Team Six, like Rob O’Neill, and says he subsequently found healing from PTSD and TBI through ibogaine and other psychedelics. He’s since set up VETS (Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions) with his wife Amber, a charity which supports retreats for veterans at Ambio in Mexico; and lobbies for psychedelic legalization efforts at the federal and state level (they helped get the Texas Ibogaine Intiative passed). Marcus also set up Tara Mind, a company which connects clients to psychedelic therapy centres.

• Shawn Ryan

Shawn Ryan was in the Navy SEALs and then the CIA. He now has his own show, with 4 million subscribers on YouTube and millions more followers on other social media. He got healing and says he met God during an ibogaine and DMT retreat at Ambio in Mexico. He’s often discussed psychedelics on his show, and recently had Secretary of Veteran Affairs Doug Collins on the show talking about the VA’s plans to make psychedelics more available.

Then there’s Diego Ugalde, a former SEAL who is now an executive coach and psychedelic integration coach, who has written a book on psychedelic leadership; there’s Chad Kuske, another former SEAL who was a spokesperson for the psilocybin ballot initiative in Oregon in 2020; there’s DJ Shipley, Matty Roberts, Tommy Aceto, Cory Poolman, Jeff Nichols, Will Branum and Nick Norris - all former SEALs who have publicly advocated for psychedelic medicine, especially as a cure for PTSD and TBI. Jocko Willink, the former SEAL now with his own popular alternative media podcast, has also featured the Capones talking about psychedelic medicines for vets.

That’s a lot of psychedelic SEALs!

So what’s going on here? Well, at least three things:

1) Most obviously, SEAL veterans are finding healing through psychedelics (which is awesome);

2) There’s also a rising culture of psychedelic and other drug use among serving SEALs (which is causing concern to some in the SEAL community)

3) Finally, Rob O’Neill is part of a growing trend of celebrity SEALs going against the SEAL code of silence to promote themselves, their products and their Republican politics. Is this an issue? Depends who you speak to, but it’s been a game-changer for psychedelics’ profile in the US.

After the paywall, I dive deeper into these issues, and share some other interesting links. 20% off subscriptions this month.