Health and Human Services SecretaryRobert F. Kennedy Jr.'sshocking admission that hesnorted "cocaine off toilet seats"amid hispast struggle with drug addictionhas led to detractors calling for his resignation, including a prominent health care advocacy group.
Protect Our Care, a nonprofit advocating for better and more affordable health care,issued a statementfollowing Kennedy Jr.'s confession on comedian Theo Von's podcast "This Past Weekend," which aired on Feb. 12.
"With his statement today that 'I'm not scared of a germ. I used to snort cocaine off of toilet seats,' Trump HHS SecretaryRobert F. Kennedy Jr.continues to lay bare why he is the most dangerous, in over his head, ill-suited person 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 Jr.'s remark with a one-word statement: "Resign."
The health secretary has been lambasted by critics over myriad issues ranging from vaccines to fluoride to dietary guidelines. USA TODAY has reached out to HHS for comment.
Robert Kennedy Jr. (R) speaks to the students at Pace University in New York Sept. 18, 2003, after endorsing Democratic Presidential hopeful John Kerry at a press conference. Kennedy endorsed Kerry citing his lifelong commitment and leadership to improve the environment." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
See Senators grill HHS Secretary RFK Jr. over vaccine rulings, CDC turmoil
RFK Jr. discusses sobriety on Theo Von's podcast
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.
Kennedy, who admitted to being sober for more than 40 years, said he and the comedian met during morning recovery meetings before the COVID-19 outbreak and later formed a "pirate" group that continued meeting during the pandemic.
"I said, 'I don't care what happens, I'm going to a meeting every day,'" Kennedy said, explaining his mindset during the pandemic.
Kennedy also recalled thinking, "I know this disease will kill me. If I don't treat it, which for me means going to meetings 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."
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.
The department iscurrently doing pilot programsconsisting of early interventions, confronting addicts on the street, getting them out of crisis and into treatment, helping them find a job once sober and stabilizing them, according to the HHS secretary.
"HHS is delivering on our promise to the American people for a healthier, brighter future," Kennedy, Jr. said in a statement about the $100 million pilot initiative. "Through this pilot program, we are launching a comprehensive, integrated care model that not only cures HCV but also tackles critical risk factors like substance use, mental health challenges, and homelessness head-on."
When did RFK Jr. first use drugs?
By Kennedy's own account, his first experience with drugs happened in the summer following the1968 assassination of his father, former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. He said he took the hallucinogen LSD at a party, and was introduced to opioids by his neighbors while walking home later that day.
"They said, 'Try this,' and it was a line of crystal meth," he said during his speech at the Rx and Illicit Drug Summit in Nashville in April 2025. "I took it, and all my problems went away. My addiction came on full force. By the end of the summer, I was shooting heroin, which was my drug of choice the next 14 years."
Also during the speech, Kennedy spoke about how hispolicy perspectives were influencedby 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 things 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."
Watch RFK Jr. on Theo Von's 'This Past Weekend' podcast
Contributing: Fernando Cervantes Jr./ USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:RFK Jr. should 'resign' after cocaine remark, health care group says
