RFK Will ‘Follow The Science On The Harms Of Marijuana,’ GOP Senator Says Following Vote Confirming Trump’s Health Secretary Pick

Shortly after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was confirmed by the Senate as the next secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Thursday, a GOP senator said he received a commitment from the nominee to “follow the science on the harms of marijuana.”

Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) had already disclosed last week that he spoke to Kennedy about the the “importance” of “preventing the expansion of marijuana.” Now he says “RFK committed to me that he would follow the science on the harms of marijuana.”

To substance of the conversation and alleged commitment is unclear. HHS, following a scientific review into cannabis that led the agency to recommend rescheduling under the Biden administration, has already determined that marijuana holds medical value with a relatively low abuse potential, at least compared to other drugs currently listed as Schedule I under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

To that end, while the senator emphasized following the science of the “harms” of marijuana, he did not suggest that Kennedy would proactively depart from his new department’s prior scientific assessment.

“I voted to confirm him and expect him to honor those commitments,” Ricketts said.

RFK committed to me that he would follow the science on the harms of marijuana. He committed to implementing @POTUS’ commitments on conscience protections, banning taxpayer funding of abortion, and protecting life. He also committed to include agriculture stakeholders in HHS’s…

— Senator Pete Ricketts (@SenatorRicketts) February 13, 2025

While Kennedy was vocal about his support for marijuana legalization when he was running for president, as well as during his time on the Trump transition team, he was notably silent on the issue as he worked to win over senators to secure confirmation to the HHS role.

Ricketts, for his part, filed a bill last week alongside Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) that seeks to prevent the marijuana industry from taking federal tax deductions even if it’s rescheduling

Despite Kennedy’s history of advocating for cannabis legalization, he said last month that he will defer to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on marijuana rescheduling in his new role.

That could complicate rescheduling. On Monday, Trump officially named his pick to lead DEA—selecting a decades-long agency veteran and top Virginia official who’s voiced concerns about the dangers of marijuana and linked its use to higher suicide risk among youth.

Separately, anti-marijuana Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) told Marijuana Moment last week that it’s “definitely” time to have a talk with Kennedy to convince him that “marijuana is harmful” and that the way to make Americans healthy is by “limiting” its use.

Prior to Kennedy’s written responses to members of the Senate Finance Committee that gave him initial approval, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) pressed him to reiterate his position on marijuana legalization amid the ongoing effort to federally reschedule cannabis.

A political action committee founded by former Vice President Mike Pence had attempted 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 followed a dizzying path to the Trump administration, entering the 2024 presidential election as a Democratic candidate before switching to independent as he lagged in the polls and then eventually endorsing the GOP nominee.

In October, Kennedy specifically criticized the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 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.

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.

Not everyone shares VA Under Secretary for Health Shereef Elnahal’s enthusiasm for Kennedy as the potential HHS secretary, however. 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 said the prospective nominee might pursue federal reform in a way that delegitimizes the science behind 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.

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Photo via X/Senator Ricketts.