Politics
RFK Still Uses Psychedelics, Book From Journalist Who Allegedly Had An Affair With Him Implies
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), reportedly still uses psychedelics despite being otherwise sober, a forthcoming book from a journalist who allegedly had a romantic relationship with him implies.
Kennedy has extolled the therapeutic potential of psychedelics, both as a 2024 Democratic presidential candidate and in his capacity as President Donald Trump’s health secretary. And he’s been candid about his personal history with drug addiction that led him to become sober. But if the account from Olivia Nuzzi’s book, “American Canto,” is accurate, he’s apparently made an exception for psychedelics.
Nuzzi doesn’t explicitly name Kennedy in the book, instead referring generally to a “politician” with whom she had a mostly digital affair while covering his presidential campaign in 2023. But the timeline and details strongly indicate that Kennedy is the unnamed politician given what’s been reported about their entanglement, according to The New York Times.
The journalist wrote that Kennedy, at least at the time, continued to use psychedelics, the newspaper reported after receiving an advance copy of the book, which comes out in early December.
The article doesn’t provide much detail on which psychedelics he was allegedly using, but it notes that he told Nuzzi he’s used the potent drug DMT.
“She writes that despite being ‘sober’ for decades,” the Times reported, “Kennedy told her that he still uses psychedelics, and even smoked dimethyltryptamine, or DMT, a powerful drug on which people are known to have what feel like near-death experiences.”
Marijuana Moment reached out to HHS for comment, but a representative did not respond.
While it would likely create controversy if it was the case that Kennedy continues to use psychedelics either medically or recreationally while serving in Trump’s cabinet, given their status as Schedule I drugs under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), the official hasn’t been shy about his interest in reforming federal laws and promoting their therapeutic use.
As recently as last week, Kennedy, Vice President JD Vance, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner and other Trump administration officials attended a “Make America Healthy Again” summit that featured a session dedicated to exploring psychedelic medicine.
In June, Kennedy said his agency is “absolutely committed” to expanding research on the benefits of psychedelic therapy and, alongside of the head of FDA, is aiming to provide legal access to such substances for military veterans “within 12 months.”
The secretary also said in April that he had a “wonderful experience” with LSD at 15 years old, which he took because he thought he’d be able to see dinosaurs, as portrayed in a comic book he was a fan of.
Last October, Kennedy specifically criticized FDA under the prior administration over the agency’s “suppression of psychedelics” and a laundry list of other issues that he said amounted to a “war on public health” that would end under the Trump administration.
