By Jack Gorsline

In the weeks leading up to Election Day, I sat down with US Army veteran and Yes on 4 campaign volunteer CJ LoConte for a series of one-on-one interviews. 

He recently reached out to voters statewide in a moving television ad by Massachusetts for Mental Health Options, and I asked about his take on the larger psychedelics renaissance as well as his own advocacy work—in the Bay State and beyond, as well as what’s in store following the Legalization and Regulation of Psychedelic Substances Initiative. 

A native of Duxbury and a former West Point lacrosse player, his origin story—from the suburbs, to the battlefield, to politics—is as authentic as it’s gripping. No matter how you vote on Question 4, it’s worth hearing what LoConte has to say … 

On his initial interest in psychedelics and what led up to that point … 

March 2023, about a year after getting out of the Army ... 

I graduated from West Point in 2017 as an infantry officer. My first duty assignment was out at Fort Carson, Colorado where I had the opportunity to deploy as a rifle platoon leader. It was the honor and privilege of a lifetime to lead 36 soldiers in a deployed environment. It was also the first time I saw the devastating toll of mental health firsthand. During our deployment, four soldiers attempted suicide, one of which I witnessed. Not even six months after getting back, we tragically lost one to suicide. As leaders, we reflect the praise and shoulder the blame. And that hit me hard. At my next assignment, I began having nightmares, losing focus, lashing out. 

This will get better when I get out, when the uniform comes off, it’ll be all sunshine and rainbows. I was wrong. Not even nine months after getting out, I was on nine different medications and a 10-minute medication management appointment every quarter. I was a completely different person—numb to the world, incapacitated with apathy. I did what I was told to do. I followed the orders. I went to the VA, sought out help, and got the “solutions.” But when the help doesn’t help, when the solutions don’t work, you start to think that you’re the problem. You start to think, What’s the point? Three months into my second semester at Wharton, I was hospitalized at the Philadelphia VA with suicidal ideation. I’ve never felt more scared, more abandoned, more dehumanized. It was the lowest point of my life.

But it was here, at my lowest point, that a VA doctor told me two things: 1—The medication cocktail you’re on will kill you; 2—You should really try psychedelics.

I was taken aback—psychedelics? But as I dug into the research I was blown away. Study after study out of [Johns] Hopkins, NYU, Imperial College London showing not just unmatched efficacy, but the safety and dependency profile.

On his first foray into psychedelics … 

My eventual experience with psilocybin changed my life. I saw this physical representation of all the blame, guilt, shame, rage, all this bottled up emotion, and I was finally able to let it go.

Before my experience, I was so lonely, just on an island, screaming into the echo chamber of my own mind. During my experience, I was able to see different parts of my life, I saw all the people who loved and supported me. I wasn’t alone, I was surrounded. During my integration, I realized that a lot of my self-worth was tied to externalities. I’d wear a West Point lacrosse shirt or a Ranger hat to project out to the world that I am worthy of acceptance and love. I finally felt worthy in my own skin. Seven days after that experience, another former soldier of mine took his own life. I do credit psilocybin with saving my life.

I’m now going back to school to get my master’s in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School to study the policies shaping this space and hopefully pursue it professionally. My wife is an ICU nurse, also from Massachusetts, so we are more than excited to be back around the family for help with our eight-month-old daughter.

On addressing the high cost of psychedelic-assisted therapy … 

The legislative process in this country has given us no reason to believe that it can help. In fact, current [federal] policies make it even more challenging to operate a cost-effective psychedelics business. Section 280E of the IRS tax code, for example, disallows any business engaged in the sale of Schedule I or II substances from deducting normal business expenses—like rent, utilities, and employee salaries—from their taxes. This is particularly problematic (and costly) for psychedelic companies because a huge portion of the costs comes from labor-intensive personnel services—like the intake, preparation, administration, and integration sessions. When businesses can’t deduct these expenses, it drives prices up.

The people who are talking about the high cost are the same people saying that we need to wait for the FDA-approved psychedelics. However, the FDA-approved psychedelics are going to cost astronomically more money than the state-led sessions. It costs pharma companies hundreds of millions to go through Phase I, II, and III FDA clinical trials. While FDA approval is important, it’s not the solution to making these treatments affordable for the public.

Costs are going to be high to start. It’s a time-intensive process that is not covered by insurance—in an incredibly new, uncharted industry. As more clinics open and more practitioners are trained, the industry will become more and more efficient. As the industry grows and serves more people, the fixed costs of running businesses—such as administrative expenses, infrastructure, and labor—are spread over a larger number of transactions, thus lowering the cost per unit.

In short, I think that state-level initiatives like Question 4 in Massachusetts are the most effective way to drive down costs in the long run.

On the potential high cost of certification and licensing for clinicians who want to provide psilocybin-assisted therapy … 

I think Massachusetts will have the luxury of learning a lot from the lawmaking process of Oregon and Colorado. We should look into … 

Implementing a sliding scale for licensing fees is a practical solution to make the process more affordable and accessible for clinicians, particularly those in lower-income and underserved areas. It could adjust the fees based on factors such as income, practice size, location, and experience level.

[With] sponsorships, companies and nonprofits could sponsor certifications for clinicians in return for a commitment to work.

And partnering with colleges and universities with psychedelic training programs could include certifications as part of their curricula to reduce costs to young, less experienced clinicians. I’m assuming the certification money is going towards funding the state-level commission in charge of regulating the industry.

On successful grassroots policy reforms at the municipal level in Massachusetts so far … 

I believe we’re having such an impact because the American public is simply fed up with a mental health system that is fundamentally broken and failing millions of people. Emotion leads to action, and when people hear our personal stories, they don’t just see us—they see themselves, their families, their friends.

Our stories resonate because they expose the harsh reality: the conventional system has let us down, time and time again. My story is not unique. Jamie Morey’s story is not unique. Graham Moore’s story is not unique. We are just like millions of Americans who have been chewed up and spit out by a system that promises care but delivers little more than a Band-Aid on a gunshot wound. When I talk about my own mental health journey, the pain, the frustration, and the hope for something better, I’m not just speaking for myself. I’m speaking for the countless others who feel trapped in a system that isn’t working. As a result, there is a tidal wave coming for a system that is unprepared and ill-equipped to meet unprecedented levels of mental illness.

I also think people are angry. They’re angry that they’ve been told to keep trusting a system that’s clearly collapsing under its own inefficiency. Millions of Americans are suffering, and yet we continue to hear the same rhetoric: trust the process, trust the medications, trust the system. But trust in what? A system that hasn’t adapted, hasn’t evolved, and frankly, hasn’t cared enough to innovate in meaningful ways? People are done waiting. They’re tired of being ignored. And when they hear stories like ours, it shows them they aren’t alone and that their voice can be heard.

On the best and worst-case scenarios for the future of psychedelics in the US … 

Best case: Massachusetts Question 4 gets passed and catalyzes a national movement of acceptance. Within a decade, everyone in America can access psychedelic-assisted therapies. I believe that is more than doable. An article in JAMA Psychiatry estimated that the majority of US states will have legalized psychedelics by 2033. The DEA reschedules all natural psychedelics to a Schedule III or below and the industry becomes well-regulated but not over-burdened by excessive bureaucracy. Psychedelic-assisted therapies become the gold standard of psychiatric intervention. Psychedelic studies become a standard offering at colleges and universities across the country. The US becomes a global leader in psychedelic research and application. We revolutionize how we study, heal, and optimize the human mind.

Worst case: Question 4 doesn’t get approved. The federal government steps in and outlaws all psychedelic use and research—1970s-type policies are imposed. Psychedelic advocates face legal challenges, and individuals who seek to self-medicate with psychedelics are subject to criminal prosecution. The mental health crisis spirals out of control as conventional therapies continue to fail.

On reaching parents, families, and individuals who are still on the fence about the use, decriminalization, and/or legalization of psychedelics … 

First, I’d genuinely love to hear why they are against or on the fence about psychedelics. I believe it’s crucial to start by listening and understanding where their concerns come from—whether they’re based on personal beliefs, worries about safety, or fear of misuse. I completely understand those concerns because I’ve been there too. I think many of us grew up with a very specific image of psychedelics: dangerous, reckless, and hippie. The idea that psychedelics could be used responsibly, let alone as a tool for healing, feels like a massive leap for many people, and that’s okay. The truth is, psychedelics have been misunderstood for far too long. Many of the prevailing views are shaped by decades of misinformation and outright disinformation of the War on Drugs era.

The government demonized these substances by associating them with societal breakdown, rebellion, and moral decay. This campaign left a lasting stigma that still clouds our collective understanding of these substances today. Even I felt the weight of that stigma. In my mind, psychedelics were for hippies, not for a Type-A West Point/Wharton guy, and definitely not something you’d ever expect a physician to recommend. But when the doctor spoke those words, I dug into the research and the history. I began to realize that I—like many of us—had misunderstood psychedelics all along. I had absorbed the stigma without ever questioning it, and that’s what I think so many people are struggling with today.

When you hear psychedelics, your first reaction might be fear, doubt, or even dismissal. That’s perfectly natural because you’ve been conditioned that way your whole life. But what if we paused for a moment and asked: What if I’ve been wrong about this? What I learned, and what I hope others can see too, is that these substances have the potential to be life-changing. For those on the fence, I’d ask them to consider this: How many people do you know who are struggling with mental health challenges, and how many of them have found lasting relief through conventional treatments? Maybe, just maybe, there’s a better way to go about this. Maybe, there’s a solution that’s been right in front of us all along.

On what’s next for his personal and organizational advocacy work … 

Get Question 4 passed! That’s the immediate next step. … Personally, I’d love to be as involved in the Massachusetts psychedelic movement as possible. It is vitally important to me that veteran and Indigenous voices are included on the state’s advisory council during the promulgation period. Both groups’ firsthand knowledge and experience are critical in ensuring that these policies are effective, inclusive, and truly serve the people of Massachusetts. Once the laws are passed, it becomes an access issue… How do we help our communities access these transformational medicines? Well, Jamie Morey and I are in the process of starting a nonprofit to help veterans in Massachusetts do just that. We aim to provide financial assistance, education, and resources to ensure that veterans can access safe, effective psychedelic-assisted therapy.