Health groups calls on RFK Jr. to step down
Cites comments about once snorting cocaine
By: Jonathan Limehouse
USA Today
..... Health and Human Service Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr's shocking admission that he snorted "cocaine off toilet seats" amid his past struggle with drug addictions had led to detractors, including a prominent health care advocacy group, calling for his resignation.
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Protect Our Care, a nonprofit advocating for better and more affordable health care, issued a statement after Kennedy's confession on comedian Theo Von's podcast "This Past Weekend," 02-07-08-2026] which aired on February 12. [2026]
..... "With his statement today [02/13/2026] that I"m not scared of a germ. I use to snort cocaine off of toilet seats," Trump HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continue to lay bare why he is the most dangerous, in over his head, ill-suited snooper ever to lead such an important federal agency that has life-and-death power," the statement reads.
..... President of Protect Our Care Brad Woodhouse addressed Kennedy's remark with a one-word statement: "Resign."
..... Critics have lambasted the health secretary over myriad issues ranging from vaccines to fluoride in drinking water to new dietary guidelines. USA today has reached out to HHS for comment.
..... Although Kennedy's brief comment about the extent of his past drug use has circulated Online, his interview with Von began with the two discussing their sobriety.
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Kennedy, who mention being sober for more than 40 years, said eh and the comedian met during morning recovery meetings before the COVID-19 outbreak and later formed a "private" group that continued meeting during the pandemic.
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"I said, 'I don't care what happens, I'm gong to a meeting every day,' " Kennedy said, explaining his mindset during the pandemic.
..... Kennedy also recalled thinking, "I know the disease [addiction] will kill me. If I don't treat it, which for me means going to meeting every day, it's just bad for my life."
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Von and Kennedy also had a wider discussion about helping people addicted to drugs and alcohol, including HHS looking more at the medical "cost of the addict."
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Kennedy said that HHS can look at the "collateral damage" in the health care system caused by addiction, including medical costs, lost jobs and inefficiencies. He said HHS is trying to look at the addict and follow them over the lifespan of their addiction.
..... During a speech at the Rx and Illicit Drug Summit in Nashville, Tennessee, in April 2025, Kennedy spoke about how his policy perspectives were influenced by the 14-year heroin addiction he overcame.
..... "I know that the only way I stay sober is through taking responsibility for my daily actions," Kennedy said at the time. "I accept the thins I can't control and try to practice gratitude for them. I can have control over my behavior, my daily conduct, but not the world around me."
..... Contributing: Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA Today