Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the nominee of President Donald Trump to head the top agency of the United States’ health system. The two met recently and talked about the importance of “preventing marijuana’s expansion.”
Pete Ricketts, R-NE senator and Kennedy nominee to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) top job, shared photos of their meeting. The two discussed several of Ricketts’ priorities including the reduction of cannabis accessibility.
Kennedy, who was an outspoken supporter of marijuana legalization during both his presidential campaign and his tenure on Trump’s transition team, has been remarkably silent about the matter as he tries to gain senators for confirmation in the HHS position. The Senate Finance Committee has already cleared him.
Now Ricketts—who filed a bill on Thursday alongside Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) that seeks to prevent the marijuana industry from taking federal tax deductions even if it’s rescheduling—is signaling that he’s putting pressure on Kennedy to adopt an anti-cannabis position as HHS secretary.
Ricketts, who spoke on Friday, said that they had discussed how important it was to protect Nebraska’s agriculture and the right to live, as well as preventing marijuana from spreading.
But he did not indicate whether Kennedy reacted to the messages.
Meet with @RobertKennedyJR, @POTUSNominee for the Secretary of Health and Human Services by. We talked about the importance of protecting Nebraska’s agriculture, the right to live, and stopping the spread of marijuana. pic.twitter.com/S56nx251YO
— Senator Pete Ricketts (@SenatorRicketts) February 7, 2025
That said, despite the nominee’s history of advocating for cannabis legalization, he said last month that he will defer to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on marijuana rescheduling if confirmed.
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.
Andy Harris (R, MD), a pro-marijuana congressman who opposes the drug’s use, said to MEDCAN24 in a separate interview on Wednesday it is “definitely” time for Kennedy to be convinced that marijuana is “harmful” and “limiting” its consumption is a way of making Americans healthier.
Prior to Kennedy’s written responses to the Finance Committee, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) recently pressed Kennedy to reiterate his position on marijuana legalization amid the ongoing effort to federally reschedule cannabis.
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 took a winding road to Trump’s administration. Kennedy entered the 2024 election for president as a Democratic Candidate, then changed to an Independent candidate as the polls slowed down. Kennedy eventually endorsed Trump.
Kennedy criticised the Food and Drug Administration in October for its “repression of psychedelics”, and other matters that, he said, amounted “to a war on public health”. He added that this would cease under Trump’s administration.
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 suggested that the potential nominee could pursue federal reforms in a manner which delegitimizes science-based substances like 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.
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Photo via Senator Ricketts.