Hope could soon be on the way for countless Nevadans suffering amid a mental health crisis that continues to take a devastating toll on communities across our state.
Earlier this month, Nevada’s Psychedelic Medicines Working Group — of which both of us are members — approved a set of recommendations for establishing a safe and regulated state system to access psychedelic-assisted therapy. Our suggestions are part of a forthcoming research report outlining the potential benefits and risks of a handful of substances that have shown immense promise in treating complex mental health conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), treatment-resistant depression and substance use disorders. Although there is much work still to do, our panel of experts reached one unassailable conclusion: Nevada must act urgently to begin utilizing these innovative therapeutic approaches.
As a retired police lieutenant and Navy SEAL veteran, we are painfully familiar with the impact of untreated mental illness. But even we were shocked by many details in our report, which shed light on the true scale of this crisis in our state.
Research presented to the group shows that nearly 25 percent of all Nevada adults experienced mental illness in the past year, well above the national average. Our state’s suicide rate is ninth highest in the nation, with deaths in 2021 increasing nearly 15 percent from the previous year.
Despite the severity of the situation, access to care remains a major issue in Nevada. More than 75 percent of our state’s population lives in places designated as mental health professional shortage areas. Due to this gap, 78.2 percent of individuals who need substance use treatment are unable to receive it. With wait times for these programs often extending beyond six months, some people give up on hope entirely.
This crisis affects all of us in some way, but research shows that the harms are especially acute among Nevada’s military veteran and first responder communities. The veteran suicide rate in our state greatly exceeds the national rate among vets and the general population rate. In 2021, suicide was the second-leading cause of death for veterans younger than 45 nationwide. Like veterans, members of law enforcement face high rates of PTSD, often stemming from trauma experienced on duty, with estimates indicating that 35 percent of police officers and 18 percent to 24 percent of 911 dispatchers suffer from the condition.
As concerning as the Working Group’s report is, it also contains plenty of cause for optimism. Our investigation revealed strong evidence supporting the therapeutic potential of naturally occurring psychedelics such as psilocybin (found in mushrooms), ibogaine (derived from the Iboga root) and 5-MeO-DMT (found in certain toad species), particularly for treatment-resistant conditions such as PTSD, substance use disorder and depression. The promise of these substances is even more compelling when considering their favorable safety profiles, with data suggesting they present little risk to public health or safety.
With the 2025 legislative session gearing up, now is the time for bold action. Lawmakers can lay the groundwork to begin offering life-saving and life-changing treatment in Nevada with legislation to establish a regulated access program for psychedelic-assisted therapy. This framework must prioritize safety by including provisions for practitioner training, proper treatment protocols and oversight mechanisms modeled on successful programs in other states.
The Working Group also recommends incorporating specialized training programs for law enforcement and emergency medical services personnel, implementing improved data collection systems and exploring insurance coverage options to ensure all Nevadans have opportunities to access these breakthrough therapies. Of equal importance, lawmakers should consider amending state statutes to reduce penalties for certain psychedelic plants and fungi, to ensure that people aren’t criminalized for seeking or providing care.
For too long, we have allowed stigma surrounding mental health and psychedelics to compound this crisis on all levels. Our stubbornness has forced millions of Americans to choose between suffering in silence and turning to treatment regimes that too often prove ineffective. In light of the Working Group’s report, we can now say with certainty that this is a false and unnecessary choice.
Our careers in law enforcement and the military may make us unlikely advocates for psychedelics. But our firsthand experiences with the ravages of the mental health crisis have made clear that we can no longer sit idly by while we continue to lose family members, friends and colleagues to potentially treatable conditions. People are in desperate need of help, and the evidence supporting psychedelic-assisted therapy is simply too strong to ignore. We can’t afford to wait.
Diane Goldstein is a retired lieutenant who served with the Redondo Beach Police Department for two decades. She now lives in Las Vegas and serves as the executive director of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership.
Jon Dalton is a retired Navy SEAL chief warrant officer who served in the SEAL teams for 23 years and conducted 11 combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He lives in Reno and serves as president of the Nevada Coalition for Psychedelic Medicines.
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