What Happens When Veterans Grow Their Own Medicine

Jack Delli Priscoli didn't set out to build a national organization. He came back from the Air Force, went through a difficult transition, and found that psilocybin mushrooms provided real support during that period. The logical next question was why other veterans couldn't access the same thing consistently and affordably. Veteran Healing grew from that question entirely through word of mouth and has now reached more than 40,000 veterans across all 50 states. He kindly shared with us his experience thus far. —Nate

I became interested in mushrooms after returning home from my time in the Air Force. While I did have some experience with mushrooms prior to my enlistment, it was only after coming home that I began to understand their potential as a therapeutic tool during a difficult transition in my life. At that time, they provided me with meaningful support.

Veteran Healing began as a small initiative focused on helping veterans access consistent, third party tested medicine grown by other veterans and, most importantly, made accessible. From the beginning, the goal was never about scale or recognition. It was about addressing a gap where many veterans felt they had no real options.

That small effort grew organically through word of mouth over time. We have never used paid advertising or marketing campaigns. Everything has developed through community connection and lived experience. That grassroots growth has expanded into a national network where we have supported more than 40,000 veterans across all 50 states.

The work today is carried out by a small but dedicated team of five full time disabled veterans. The operation runs at a high volume and fast pace and is grounded in service, structure, and consistency.

Our work has also led to multiple trips to Washington DC where we have met directly with senators and policymakers to discuss emerging approaches to mental health support for veterans. Our social media presence has also grown organically through the community without paid promotion. These meetings have focused solely on our mission and the individuals involved.

At its core, the mission has remained simple. Provide accessibility to veterans who have been left without meaningful options and build a system that is created by veterans and for veterans.

The raid marked one of the most challenging turning points in our organization’s history and became a true make or break moment. Operations were halted while the case was reviewed and significant public resources were involved in the process.

Ultimately, the case was dismissed by a judge who took the time to understand the broader context of our work. During this period, we also saw an overwhelming response from the veteran community including those who showed up in person and thousands of letters from across the country describing how the work had impacted their lives.

While disruptive, this period created an opportunity to regroup and restructure. Instead of building in constant motion, we were able to stabilize the foundation of the organization.

During this time some early team members moved on, but additional veterans joined the team and helped elevate the mission to a higher level of structure and professionalism.

In hindsight, what felt like a breaking point became a reset point. Within a year Veteran Healing reached a level of growth and organization that exceeded expectations for such a short timeframe.

The public attention surrounding the case also elevated the broader conversation nationally and helped open doors for participation in policy discussions in Washington DC. This contributed to Veteran Healing becoming one of the more visible veteran to veteran mushroom community-organizations.

Our church operates a 5000 square foot vertically integrated facility within the decriminalized district of Somerville.

By vertically integrated, we mean full single source control over the entire process from cultivation through final product manufacturing, including chocolates, gummies, and microdose formulations. We do not rely on third party sourcing for core inputs. Everything is produced internally under one consistent system.

This structure is built on transparency and consistency. In much of the broader market, people have limited visibility into where their medicine originates, which can lead to inconsistency in quality and outcomes. By controlling the full process, we maintain accountability and consistency at every stage.

Our sacrament primarily focuses on psilocybin cubensis based on member experience and accessibility. Many participants report it as one of the most consistent and approachable species within their personal experiences.

Accessibility is a core principle of our approach. Without it, these tools risk becoming limited to higher income populations rather than reaching veterans and working class individuals who often need them most. From the beginning, our focus has been on ensuring access for those who have served as well as those working essential roles while facing daily challenges.

We also have volunteers who are fellow civil servants who contribute when they can. However, all full time team members are disabled veterans. This is intentional as our primary focus is serving the veteran community and related civil servants. It creates a strong cultural alignment and functions as an internal quality and accountability system that keeps the mission grounded and consistent.

Our experience in Washington DC was productive and encouraging. We were able to introduce conversations around natural approaches to mental health directly to senators in a policy context.

The strongest reception came from legislators who are also veterans. Many already understand the severity of the veteran suicide crisis and the limitations of the current system. That shared perspective helped move the conversation forward and led to continued follow up discussions.

At this stage, the most realistic near term path involves pilot programs. That is also the focus of our current work in Boston where we are developing structured data driven initiatives in collaboration with local medical doctors and state representatives.

We see this as a practical step by step approach to addressing long standing gaps in mental healthcare. As momentum builds, we expect continued policy development in this area. Throughout this process accessibility remains central to ensure those most impacted are not excluded.

Our legal counsel also brings experience from early medical cannabis licensing efforts in Massachusetts which provides valuable insight into how regulated therapeutic pathways are developed and implemented.

At the same time urgency remains critical. With approximately 22 veterans per day dying by suicide and certain populations such as Gulf War veterans disproportionately affected, there is a clear need for solutions that move faster than traditional systems have historically allowed.

Mushrooms are gaining attention because many veterans and individuals struggling with mental health have not found lasting relief through existing systems alone. While pharmaceuticals such as SSRIs may help some people, they also come with limitations and side effects that have led others to explore alternative or complementary approaches.

At Veteran Healing our mission is to provide a natural structured and accessible approach focused on restoration and reconnection rather than dependency. The goal is to give individuals tools that feel sustainable and integrated into their lives.

Accessibility is one of the most common concerns we hear. Many alternative wellness spaces are priced in ways that exclude the very people who need support most. Our belief is that if something is truly meaningful it must be accessible. For that reason we operate on a donation based model.

We also participate in mushroom related educational events nationally and internationally and have engaged in conversations with veteran communities in Europe and the Middle East. Domestically we have been involved in decriminalization discussions in Massachusetts and continue to work alongside veterans first responders and civil servants.

The development of a VA pathway or regulated access model would represent a major step forward. In the meantime many individuals are already seeking alternatives due to urgency and lack of access. Our approach remains focused on meeting people where they are while advocating for structured systems that can integrate into healthcare in the future.

In essence Veteran Healing exists to ensure that veterans and civil servants are not left behind when new pathways to recovery and healing become available.

We also were featured in Journeys, a new film on prime speaking about this exact topic—trailer below.

Overall the mushroom community has been incredibly supportive and we have had no negative experiences engaging within it.

North Spore has been a valuable resource in the cultivation space and we see a natural overlap between your work and our mission driven approach. We are particularly interested in the possibility of supporting veteran grown cultures in the future as a way of connecting cultivation directly to healing pathways.

We also appreciated the educational content featuring Josh which helped bring visibility to the broader cultivation space and reduce stigma. It made the overlap between our communities feel clear and made reaching out a natural step.

On a personal level I want to thank you for the visibility you bring to this space. Many veterans are suffering in silence and educational content like yours gives people hope and direction. I would genuinely appreciate the opportunity to be involved in any way that makes sense.

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