Everything RFK Jr. Has Said About His Past Drug Use

Note: This article discusses drug use and addiction issues.

When it comes to his unusual life experiences, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has always been surprisingly candid — whether it's about getting infected with a brain worm, his love for raw unpasteurized milk, or that time he dumped a dead bear in New York's Central Park. However, now that Kennedy's been tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as secretary of Health and Human Services, people are paying closer attention to the things he's been freely admitting, including Kennedy's eyebrow-raising confession of using heroin while attending school.

While rumors of Kennedy's alleged extramarital affairs have taken up a lot of headline space, his remarks about using heroin resurfaced after Trump's victory, and some have expressed concern about Kennedy portraying the highly addictive narcotic as an effective study aid. Kennedy opened up about his past heroin use during an interview on "The Shawn Ryan Show" in June 2024, while he was still an active presidential candiate himself and just two months before he endorsed Trump. He recalled how he struggled in school, until "I started doing heroin, and I went to the top of my class."

Kennedy said that if he were a student today, he would have likely been diagnosed with attention-deficity/hyperactivity disorder, because he was always "bouncing off the walls. I couldn't sit still" until he began self-medicating with heroin. However, Kennedy also emphasized how things went wrong, and what led to him kicking the habit.

On "The Shawn Ryan Show," Kennedy said his drug use began in his teens after his father, Sen. Robert Kennedy, was assassinated in 1968. He began experimenting with LSD, progressing to cocaine and then heroin. Now 70, Kennedy said heroin worked like a wonder regarding his classes, and "if it still worked, I'd still be doing it. ... It works really great in the beginning, but then it begins exacting a cost, and then the cost gets worse and worse. ... It killed my brother [David]. It hollows out your relationships and you have a one-dimensional life," becoming "a bundle of appetites that was a full-time job to feed." 

Kennedy's addiction culminated in an arrest for heroin possession in 1983 after he became sick in an airplane bathroom that had stopped in Rapid City, South Dakota. An investigation led to the discovery of heroin in his luggage. A family friend told the New York Times that Kennedy was traveling to Black Hills, South Dakota, to undergo drug dependency treatment. Kennedy told the Tmes then, "With the best medical help I can find, I am determined to beat this problem." 

Kennedy commented on Instagram in June 2024: "For decades, I've maintained my sobriety by regularly participating in the sobriety of others and attending AA meetings. ... Addicts are some of the most incredible people. Given a chance to heal, they can do incredible things. Even run for president."

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).