A political action committee founded by former Vice President Mike Pence is gunning to undermine the confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the head of the nation’s top health agency—in part by drawing attention to his support for marijuana and psychedelics reform, as well as his personal history with substance misuse.
Ahead of Kennedy’s Senate confirmation hearings which are scheduled to begin Wednesday, the Advancing American Freedom PAC (AAF) sent a last-week letter to Republican senators claiming that the nominee’s policies would “undermine the public order and cause a nuisance” as well as increase the size government.
“As a presidential candidate, RFK promised to legalize marijuana and increase access to psychedelics while creating government ‘wellness farms’ to ‘heal’ individuals with addiction to ‘psychiatric drugs,’ including attention deficit disorder (ADD) medication,” the letter says, urging lawmakers to block the nominee from leading the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
AAF said Kennedy also was not qualified due to his personal failures, which had been widely reported. Later, they cited Kennedy’s heroin addiction.
“RFK acknowledged publicly that he has been addicted heroin for over 14 years.” He was charged with heroin possession in 1983 and plead guilty.
RFK Jr. supports dangerous health-related conspiracies, abortion-on demand and the increasing of access to psychedelics. Senators should look at this nomination with a clear mind and refuse his nomination as Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Read our letter ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/qKq0nijaHt
— Advancing American Freedom (@AmericanFreedom) January 21, 2025
Kennedy is also criticized for his support of abortion rights and concerns regarding vaccines.
The letter states that “any one of these scandals should be disqualifying” for any potential HHS director. It is important that Senators view RFK’s nomination objectively, the letter asserts. The letter states that “whatever the merits and need for reforming America’s broken health care system and RFK’s Make America Healthy Again Initiative, his continual embrace of conspiracy theory and his personal moral failures will severely hamstring him ability to reform HHS.”
The PAC noted that the Conservative Movement had a large number of brave leaders ready to help reform HHS so it can serve Americans better without RFK’s baggage. The PAC said, “We urge you strongly to accept your constitutional advice and consent duties by rejecting RFK’s nomination.”
The letter’s impact on the Republican caucus remains to be seen. The GOP has largely embraced the notion that Donald Trump’s victory in his election is a mandate by voters. This means Trump’s cabinet nominees should be confirmed despite any reservations they may have about their background or qualifications.
Kennedy could be a great opportunity to reform the HHS, especially for those who are interested in cannabis or psychedelics. His advocacy of changing the status-quo is matched by his unique ability to accomplish the desired goals.
Elizabeth Warren, D-MA, recently asked Kennedy about the legalization of marijuana in the midst of the federal rescheduling of cannabis. She sent a 34 page letter that asks Kennedy a number of questions regarding his opinions on various policy matters, such as cannabis, harm reduction, and psychedelics.
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 “suppression on psychedelics”, and also a long list of issues which he claimed amounted “to a war against public health” and would be ended 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 isn’t a favorite of everyone, including VA Assistant Secretary Shereef Enahal. 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 the nominee’s approach to federal reform could delegitimize the science of 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.
Kennedy shares his pro-reform viewpoint with others who are vying for the position of director of national Intelligence, such as former Rep. Tulsi Gabrield (D/R-HI) and Department of Government Efficiency head Elon Musk.
Government Watchdog Group Sues Federal Health Agency over Failure to Release Marijuana Rescheduling Data
Gage Skidmore is the photographer of this image element.