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DENVER — When former Texas Gov. Rick Perry strode onto the stage at the largest ever psychedelics conference last month, he knew he was an unusual choice to open the event. Who would expect to hear from a “knuckle-dragging, right-wing Republican former governor of the state of Texas,” he asked the crowd, miming the sign of a cross in mock horror.

Psychedelics, which were widely associated with hippies and the anti-war movement in the ‘60s, are no longer partisan. Growing awareness of the trauma suffered by U.S. combat veterans in Iraq and Afghanistan has driven a wave of support among right-wing political figures, who see the potential use of psychedelic therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder as a way to help an important constituency.

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Perry said he and Rick Doblin, the founder of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), which organized the conference and has led efforts to develop and legalize MDMA as a treatment for PTSD, “don’t agree on everything.” But they are united “in the effort to find the solution for post-traumatic stress for our veterans.”

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