Newly confirmed US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. warns cannabis poses “catastrophic impacts” on users, marking an abrupt reversal from his previous support for legalization as he takes control of the nation’s health policy.
The Senate confirmed Kennedy by a narrow 52-48 vote on Thursday to lead the $1.7 trillion Department of Health and Human Services, where he will oversee federal drug policy and research.
“I hear stories all the time of the impacts of marijuana on people,” Kennedy told Fox News in his first interview after confirmation. This contradicts his earlier support for legalization during the Trump transition period. It also won support from key Republicans like Senator Pete Ricketts, who extracted Kennedy’s pledge to “follow the science on marijuana harms.”
Kennedy pledges to use state-level cannabis legalization as a research opportunity. “We have 25 states that have legalized marijuana,” he says. “We now have the capacity to study it and compare it to states where it remains illegal.”
Read: Acting DEA Chief Says Cannabis Review Is Not Dead—Yet—as Successor Looms
The new secretary said he would remove staff at the NIH, FDA, and CDC who he blames for mishandling nutrition guidelines and Alzheimer’s treatment protocols. “I have a list in my head,” Kennedy told Fox News.
Democrats unanimously opposed Kennedy’s appointment. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, a polio survivor, cast the sole Republican vote against Kennedy, citing concerns about vaccine science.
“I’m a survivor of childhood polio. In my lifetime, I’ve watched vaccines save millions of lives from devastating diseases across America and around the world,” he said in a statement. “I will not condone the re-litigation of proven cures, and neither will millions of Americans who credit their survival and quality of life to scientific miracles.”
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Kennedy’s appointment comes amid controversy not just over his past statements about vaccines but also over his potential conflicts of interest. He earned significant income last year through an arrangement with a law firm involved in litigation against Gardasil, a vaccine that prevents cervical cancer. Kennedy has promised to redirect related fees to his son if confirmed.
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