One Republican congressman believes it is time for a “definitely” talk with the nominee of President Donald Trump to head the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This is in order to convince this person that “marijuana” is dangerous and that Americans can be healthy by “limiting” the use of marijuana.
Andy Harris (R) said to MEDCAN24 after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. passed the initial Senate Finance Committee confirmation vote that he would like to chat with him. Kennedy Jr. had previously expressed his support for legalizing cannabis before Trump selected him for the federal top health position.
Harris told Capitol reporters in a Wednesday interview that “marijuana can be harmful”. We should have a conversation with RFK Jr. “I mean, I think the bottom line here is that we should limit marijuana use in order to keep Americans healthy.”
But Harris—a staunchly anti-cannabis lawmaker who has championed legislation to block adult-use marijuana sales in Washington, D.C.—expressed a softer tone when asked about the therapeutic potential of psychedelics, which is another issue that Kennedy has pushed.
It “might” be possible, said the congressman, that psychedelics can be used to treat conditions like post-traumatic disorder (PTSD).
“We may want to do some more research, but we don’t want to do what D.C. did, which is just make them widely available,” he said, referencing a voter-approved initiative to decriminalize certain psychedelics—which would not inherently increase availability given the lack of any regulated sales component of the reform.
Despite Harris’s concerns over Kennedy’s past advocacy for cannabis legalization and if confirmed, Kennedy said that he would defer to the Drug Enforcement Administration on marijuana rescheduling.
That could complicate rescheduling given the fact that the current acting administrator of DEA, Derek Maltz, has made multiple comments expressing hostility to cannabis reform.
Kennedy was also pressed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-MA, to clarify his position regarding marijuana legalization, in light of ongoing federal efforts to reschedule the drug.
Meanwhile, a political action committee founded by former Vice President Mike Pence has been gunning to undermine the confirmation Kennedy as HHS secretary—in part by drawing attention to his support for marijuana and psychedelics reform, as well as his personal history with substance misuse.
Kennedy’s path led him to Trump. He entered the presidential elections of 2024 as a Democrat, but then switched to Independent as his poll numbers dropped. Finally, he endorsed the Republican nominee.
Kennedy criticised the Food and Drug Administration for “suppressing psychedelics”, and also a long list of issues, which he described as a “war against public health”. This ‘war’ would cease under Trump.
Meanwhile, a top U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) official recently said it’s “very encouraging” that Kennedy supports psychedelics reform—and he hopes to work with him on the issue if he stays on for the next administration.
Kennedy’s potential appointment as HHS Secretary is not a popular choice among everyone. Shereef Enahal, VA Undersecretary for Health at the VA does not share Kennedy’s excitement. Author Michael Pollan, for example, said that Trump’s pick could prove “very dangerous” to the psychedelics movement—even though he is a supporter of reform.
He warned that a prospective federal nominee may pursue reforms which would delegitimize the science of substances such as Psilocybin.
By contrast, Rick Perry—a former governor of Texas who also served in the first Trump administration—recently said the president-elect’s choices for key health policy positions, including Kennedy, are a “great gift” for the psychedelics reform movement, particularly as it concerns access to ibogaine as a treatment option for serious mental health conditions.
The LCB contributed reporting from Washington, D.C.
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Gage Skidmore is the photographer of this image element.