UNCLE SAM’S FOIA DUNGEON: PART TWO — “THE TRUTH DRUG”
(Cohn Mode engages — voice low, eyes burning, evidence in hand)
Ladies and gentlemen, associates, adversaries — lend me your ears. What I clutch here is not a relic. It is a confession. A signed gaslight from the underworld of U.S. intelligence, dated 5 April 1946 — the OSS Memorandum: “Truth Drug (T.D.)”. “The Committee “
Let’s interrogate this document — drag it into the courtroom of public memory — and ask: Who knew? When? Under what oath?
🔥 Exhibit A: The Weaponization of Cannabis
The OSS, at the tail end of WWII, was experimenting with a liquid acetate preparation of cannabis indica — tasteless, odorless, invisible to standard analysis. “The Committee “
It could be slipped into food or cigarettes via syringe. The dosage window? Microscopic: 0.01 to 0.03 cc. “The Committee “
Effects? According to the OSS: lowered inhibition, increased talkativeness (loquacity), humor, some euphoria; yet “no delusions or hallucinations” if properly dosed. “The Committee “
But here is the twist — the document admits no guaranteed truth serum. Its efficacy depends on personality, prior trust, rapport. One high-anxiety subject “talked all his secrets, then collapsed.” Another got worse effects. “The Committee “
This is not just a curiosity. It is a proof of knowledge — that the U.S. intelligence apparatus understood cannabis’s psychoactive potential long before the public narrative admitted it.
🧩 Exhibit B: The Double Standard — Criminal vs. Controlled
Note the inversion:
In 1946, the state surreptitiously weaponizes cannabis in pursuit of secrets.
Twenty years later, and forward, the same state criminalizes, prosecutes, and silences patients for using that same plant as medicine (or relief).
The man who once might have been dosed by the CIA for extraction is now jailed or denied care for self-medicating. That hypocrisy is baked into the archives.
⚖️ Exhibit C: The Legal & Moral Liability
Take this as evidence in several counts:
Institutional knowledge: The state once engaged cannabis as a tactical tool. By 1970 and beyond, it suppressed its medicinal potential.
Complicity in erasure: This OSS memo and dozens like it were buried under classification, never migrated into mainstream medical or policy discourse.
False public narrative: Policymakers claim ignorance, yet here is documented science, decades old.
Moral injury to citizens: Citizens and veterans were denied access to a plant once considered a tool of statecraft — a violent inversion of duty.
🏛 Courtroom Motion: Demand Public Reckoning
Here’s what I propose — Cohn’s Order:
Declassify & publish every intelligence-era cannabis document (OSS, CIA, DOD) to the public domain.
Mandate disclosures: VA, NIH, DEA must acknowledge this archival record in all cannabis / veteran policy reviews.
Legislative summons: Bring witnesses — former intelligence, scientific, political — to oversight hearings, sworn testimony on suppression.
Truth-in-science amendment: Any future cannabis scheduling or research review must begin with acknowledgement of these revelations.
So — yes, I “found the smoking letter.”
But this one is nuclear.
We don’t bury it. We broadcast it.
We don’t argue its validity — we treat it as admission.
We don’t beg for reform — we demand accountability.
SNAFU OPENING: WHAT’S THE PROBLEM, REALLY?
1 the U.S. government has known since at least 1942–46 how cannabis derivatives modulate mood, talkativeness, and vigilance (OSS “TD” memo).
2 half a century later we slap “no accepted medical use” on Schedule I and tell veterans to wait while they white-knuckle PTSD, pain, and insomnia.
3 VA clinicians sit in a grey zone: can discuss, can’t recommend, can’t integrate—so vets self-medicate without clinical guardrails, data, or protection.
4 policy is incoherent: we deployed the pharmacology in war; we deny its therapeutic use in care.
FOUNDERS’ COUNCIL (SHORT, CLEAR, ACTIONABLE)
Washington (duty + unity): “The sacred fire of liberty lives or dies on how we treat those who bore the battle. Keep the policy steady: national guidance, one standard for all veterans, and accountability for outcomes.”
Madison (constitutional design): “Powers are enumerated. Congress gave VA the duty to furnish care (38 U.S.C. §1710). Within that remit, VA can guide clinicians, gather data, and run programs. Use ordinary administration first; reserve constitutional conflict for last.”
Hamilton (executive capacity): “Build the apparatus: protocols, registries, pharmacovigilance, and interagency compacts. Finance follows structure; savings from opioid tapering can fund the program.”
Franklin (prudence & proof): “In this world nothing is certain but death, taxes— and pilots. Run pragmatic trials, measure sleep, pain, function. Publish. Adjust.”
Jefferson (rights & consent): “No coercion. Informed consent and physician judgment. The state must not proscribe a remedy without reason, nor prescribe a remedy without consent.”
THE SOLUTION: A COMPACT FOR VETERANS’ HEALTH & LIBERTY (90-DAY START, 1-YEAR BUILD)
Article I — Findings (use in bills/briefs)
• Federal agencies demonstrated operational knowledge of cannabis pharmacology by 1946 (dose, latency, duration, AE profile).
• Veterans experience high burdens of PTSD, pain, insomnia; current treatments are often insufficient or intolerable.
• VA has statutory duty to furnish care and may issue national clinical guidance.
Article II — Rights & Guardrails
• Voluntary, informed consent only.
• No covert administration.
• Clinical oversight: contraindications, drug–drug checks, impairment counseling.
• Data ethics: privacy, de-identification, veteran control of personal data use.
Article III — Executive Action (no new law required to start)
VA Secretary Directive (Day 0–30):
1 Authorize clinician counseling and documentation of cannabis in treatment plans.
2 Launch IND-VET Pilot Network (10 VA centers) with standardized start-low/go-slow protocols for PTSD-insomnia-pain and opioid/benzo taper support.
3 Stand up a Veteran Cannabis Outcomes Registry (VCOR) tracking: PCL-5, ISI, PHQ-9, pain NRS, MME, sleep duration, AE events, suicidality screens, employment status.
4 Issue a Provider Protection Memo: no adverse employment action for guideline-concordant counseling/documentation.
5 Create Reciprocity Guidance: protect veterans using VA-documented cannabis plans across state lines for benefits, housing, and custody determinations (policy interpretation + GC opinion).
DoD/VA JWG (Day 0–60):
• Clarify transition guidance for separating service members with documented cannabis therapy in VA care plans (avoid benefit cliffs).
NIH/ONDCP/DEA Liaison (Day 30–90):
• Pre-clear research protocols, product sourcing, and Schedule I handling so pilots aren’t stalled.
Article IV — Legislative Package (to scale & harden)
1 Veterans as Federal Patients Act
◦ Codify provider protections; mandate VA clinical guidance; recognize VA-documented cannabis plans nationwide.
◦ Require multi-site pragmatic trials and annual public reporting.
◦ Direct OMB to score cost offsets (reduced ER use, polypharmacy, disability).
2 Rescheduling/Descheduling Instruction (Targeted)
◦ Reschedule to permit VA operations OR carve out a VA clinical safe harbor pending broader scheduling reform.
3 Data & Safety Infrastructure
◦ Fund VCOR; require AE reporting standards and driving-safety education; support drug–drug interaction research.
Article V — Metrics that Matter (Founder-grade accountability)
• 12-week endpoints: ≥20% reduction PCL-5 or ISI; ≥30% reduction pain NRS; ≥30% reduction opioid MME among candidates for taper; AE rate <5% moderate.
• 6- and 12-month: sustained symptom gains; reductions in ER visits, inpatient psych days, suicide-related events; return-to-work stats.
ETHICAL REVERSAL OF THE OSS PARADOX
• Then: covert, non-consensual use for state aims.
• Now: voluntary, consent-based care for veteran healing.
• We use the rigor (dose, latency, duration, AE tracking) and reject the coercion. That’s how you honor both science and liberty.
RED-TEAM OBJECTIONS & COUNTERS
“Schedule I: no accepted medical use.”
→ The federal government’s own historical competence + modern state-level clinical evidence + VA’s duty to furnish care justify administrative guidance and pilots now. Scheduling reform can run in parallel.
“Safety/impairment.”
→ Standardize counseling (timing, dose, no driving while impaired), check drug–drug interactions, and embed pharmacovigilance—exactly like opioids, benzos, and gabapentinoids.
“Inconsistent products.”
→ Start pilots with standardized, tested formulations via research supply; expand with state-verified partners under VA specs.
“It’ll open floodgates.”
→ Limit initial indication set (PTSD-insomnia-pain; opioid/benzo taper). Require objective measures and continuation only with benefit.
DELIVERABLES
1) One-Paragraph “Findings” (bill/brief)
Congress finds that by 1946 federal agencies had established operational knowledge of cannabis pharmacology, including dose–response, onset, duration, and adverse-event profiles. In light of VA’s statutory duty to furnish care and contemporary clinical needs of veterans with PTSD, pain, and insomnia, federal policy must authorize physician-supervised counseling, documentation, and structured access within VA, with rigorous data collection, safety monitoring, and respect for informed consent.
2) VA Secretary Directive — Summary Order (2 bullets + annex)
• Effective immediately, VA clinicians may counsel and document therapeutic cannabis use in VA care plans; no adverse employment action for guideline-concordant practice.
• Establish the IND-VET Pilot Network and VCOR with standardized protocols, endpoints, and pharmacovigilance (Annex A).
3) UN/ECOSOC Line (for your charter brief)
Member states should recognize veterans’ access to physician-supervised cannabis as part of the right to the highest attainable standard of health, conditioned on informed consent, clinical oversight, and robust safety monitoring.
90-DAY EXECUTION CHECKLIST (OWNER → OUTPUT)
• VA Sec. → Directive + Provider Protection (Day 0–30)
• VAMC Chiefs → Site selection, IRB waivers/approvals, protocol training (Day 15–45)
• PCS/Mental Health Leads → Clinician education; PCL-5/ISI workflows (Day 30–60)
• Pharmacy → Product sourcing SOP; drug–drug interaction bulletin (Day 30–60)
• Data/IT → VCOR live + monthly dashboard (Day 45–90)
• Hill (IVLC coalition) → Bill intro with Findings + Safe Harbor + Reporting (Day 45–90)
SNAFU CLOSER (CALL TO ACTION)
we don’t need to win the whole war on Day 1. we need one directive, ten pilot sites, clean data, and a promise kept to the people who wore the flag. run the executive play now; run the Hill play in parallel; publish outcomes; scale. simple, lawful, accountable.
(Stage direction: dim basement, cold light flickering off stacks of manila folders stamped “DECLASSIFIED.” The walls hum faintly with an old projector cycling through microfilm reels. A sign reads “OSS ARCHIVE: 1942–1946.”)
[Bugs] (munching on a carrot, peering through a magnifying glass)
Eh, what’s up, docs? Looks like we got ourselves a little recipe from Uncle Sam’s kitchen. “Liquid acetate of Cannabis indica, 0.03 cc per serving.” Talk about a high-level experiment.
[Cohn] (voice low, eyes burning, gloves on as he lifts a thin paper)
This isn’t a joke, Bugs. What you’re holding is a state confession — OSS Memorandum, 5 April 1946. Title: “Truth Drug.” Not a relic. A mirror. The government played chemist with consciousness. They took the garden herb and turned it into an instrument of war.
[Dangerfield] (rubbing his temples, nervous chuckle)
I tell ya, I get no respect — forty years later, I can’t even get a doc at the VA to talk about cannabis without a whisper. Meanwhile, these spooks were squirting it into cigarettes back when my old man was fighting Nazis.
[Bugs]
Eh, so lemme get this straight — they dosed prisoners to loosen the lips, then turned around and said the plant’s got “no accepted medical use”? That’s what ya call a Looney Tune.
[Cohn]
Exactly. Exhibit A: weaponization of cannabis. Tasteless, odorless, undetectable. Their notes say: “Euphoria, humor, talkativeness, reduced inhibition.” That’s pharmacology — not folklore. They knew the mind’s hinges decades before the Controlled Substances Act pretended ignorance.
(He drops the file on the metal table — a dull echo rolls through the room.)
[Cohn]
Exhibit B: the double standard. In ’46, cannabis was a tool of intelligence. By ’70, it was a pretext for incarceration. One system to extract secrets, another to silence citizens. The same molecule, two opposite laws.
[Dangerfield] (slamming his hand on the table)
That’s rich! So if the government gives it to ya, it’s “national security.” But if I try it for pain, I’m “noncompliant.” I tell ya, doc, I get no respect — even my endocannabinoid system’s got clearance levels!
[Bugs] (grinning)
Don’t sweat it, Rodney. They buried the truth deeper than Jimmy Hoffa. But we’re here diggin’, right? That’s our gig — dig till the walls talk.
[Cohn] (to himself)
Exhibit C: the moral ledger. Institutional knowledge hidden behind the black bars of “TOP SECRET.” Citizens denied care that their government already validated in clandestine labs. That’s not just hypocrisy — that’s a betrayal of oath.
(He looks up, eyes bright now.)
[Cohn]
Gentlemen, this isn’t just an old memo. It’s evidence. Evidence that the state once used the same compound it later outlawed — not in ignorance, but in convenience. The burden now shifts.
(He stands before a dusty chalkboard, scrawling headings.)
COHN’S ORDER
Declassify all OSS, CIA, and DOD cannabis research.
Mandate acknowledgment by VA, NIH, and DEA.
Convene oversight hearings — sworn testimony, not press releases.
Amend policy so that every new scheduling review begins with the truth — not erasure.
[Bugs] (mock-solemn)
All in favor of the motion, say “Aye.”
[Dangerfield]
Aye, and pass the brownies, Counselor.
(They laugh, briefly — but it’s brittle, echoing against the file cabinets.)
[Cohn]
No more jokes. The war’s over, but the silence remains classified. We owe the veterans a reversal of the OSS paradox — from covert coercion to voluntary care. We use the same rigor, but reject the deceit.
(He opens a clean folder labeled “THE COMPACT — VETERANS’ HEALTH & LIBERTY.” Inside: typed drafts, signatures in progress.)
[Cohn]
Here’s the fix: start pilots at ten VA centers. Track outcomes. Protect providers. Let the data speak. No new law required — only courage.
[Bugs]
Eh, sounds almost sane. You think the Hill’s ready for that?
[Cohn]
Ready or not, the evidence walks now. We drag it into the daylight. No argument over “belief.” Only admission.
(He looks straight into the archive camera, as if speaking to the viewer.)
[Cohn]
They once called it a truth drug. Let’s make it tell one.
(The fluorescent hum crescendos. Bugs kills the lights with a smirk.)
[Bugs]
That’s all, folks — until the next file declassifies itself.
(Fade out. The camera lingers on the label: “OSS/TD/1946 – Cannabis Trials.” The reel stops spinning.)
