The new nominee for Secretary of Veterans Affairs, chosen by President Donald Trump, recently wrote in a book that people should think about using psychedelic drugs for medical treatment, even though they haven't been fully tested. She also suggested in a newsletter that using mushrooms helped her find a romantic partner.

Dr. Kacy Mins' proposal for psilocybin-assisted therapy is noteworthy, although psilocybin is illegal under federal law and classified as a Schedule I drug due to its perceived lack of medical use and high potential for abuse; while Oregon and Colorado have legalized psychedelic therapy, some cities in Oregon have since banned it.

The Surgeon General's role is to give Americans the most up-to-date, scientific advice on how to improve their health and lower the chances of getting sick or injured. Past Surgeons General have used their position to teach the public about important health issues like AIDS and preventing suicide. In 1964, the Surgeon General's warning about the dangers of smoking helped to change health policy in the United States.

While figures like Dr. C. Everett Koop, the Surgeon General under President Ronald Reagan, achieved significant influence and widespread recognition, others have faded from public memory.

Mins' nomination fits Trump's tendency to pick figures known for their public image rather than policy expertise. In this instance, Trump stated he chose her solely based on Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s recommendation. "Bobby thought she was great," Trump said, adding he didn't know her personally.

Dr. Mins, who earned her bachelor's degree and medical degree from Stanford University, started a medical residency in Oregon but did not finish it. Her medical license is currently registered as inactive. When contacted by phone, Dr. Mins declined to comment on the official record.

In her 2024 book, "Good Energy," she discusses psychedelics, a topic she co-authored with her brother, Cali Mince, who currently serves as a health advisor in the Trump administration; Cali Mince has also disclosed investments in a biopharmaceutical company specializing in psychedelics.

The book mainly focuses on metabolic health, or what Dr. Mins calls "good energy," and she suggests several strategies for managing and healing the stress, trauma, and thinking patterns that can harm our metabolic health and prevent us from thriving.

One strategy involves considering psilocybin-assisted therapy, which uses a compound found in psychedelic mushrooms; she explores this topic in detail over 750 words.

She wrote, "If you feel a calling, I recommend exploring intentional and guided psilocybin therapy. Strong scientific evidence suggests this psychedelic treatment can be one of the most meaningful experiences in a person's life, as it has been in mine."

Some studies suggest potential benefits of psychedelics, but it's not proven that these benefits outweigh the risks. Psilocybin can cause hallucinations, either pleasant or frightening, for several hours. While it has been used alongside therapy to treat mental health issues or alcohol addiction, research on healthy individuals is limited. Side effects may include increased heart rate, nausea, and headaches. Using it without supervision is dangerous, as hallucinations could lead to risky behaviours like walking into traffic.

Dr. Mins discussed the stigmatized past of psilocybin and other psychedelic drugs. She highlighted the potential benefits of MDMA, also known as ecstasy or molly, which has been shown to help treat PTSD. However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declined to approve MDMA as a PTSD treatment last year after an advisory panel found the studies flawed and cited significant risks associated with its use.

In her book, Dr. Mins refers to psychedelics as "plant medicine," recounting her first experience with mushrooms around January 1, 2021. She describes being inspired by an inner voice that whispered, "Time to prepare."

She wrote, "I felt that my existence was part of an infinite and continuous cosmic tree doll made up of countless mothers and babies since the beginning," adding that, in her experience, "psilocybin can be a gateway to other realities beyond the confines of my ego, emotions, and personal history."

In her October newsletter, Dr. Mins revealed she used psychedelics at 35 to create a "space for finding love." She described undergoing a plant medicine experience with a trusted guide as preparation for partnership, ending the sentence with a mushroom emoji, though she cautioned against others necessarily following suit.

In her recent White House health policy priorities, she outlined plans to improve school meals, add warning labels to ultra-processed foods, push for vaccine safety investigations, and address conflicts of interest. While she didn't mention psychedelics directly, she noted that researchers lack motivation to study "common, natural, and unpatentable drugs and therapies," and suggested allocating research funds to alternative health approaches.

Similarly, Keli Means is an advocate for psychedelic drug use, writing in a 2021 blog post that she first tried psilocybin during a difficult period in her life and found it to be "the most meaningful experience in my life personally, professionally, and spiritually." In 2022, she stated that she "sold all of [her] 401k" and purchased shares in two companies developing and researching psychedelics, and has not responded to related inquiries.

A hearing for Dr. Kacey Mins has not yet been scheduled. President Trump nominated Dr. Mins after withdrawing the previous candidate, former Fox News medical contributor Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, whose qualifications for the position of Surgeon General were questioned.