Psychedelics for the Rich, Work Camps for the Rest: RFK Jr.'s Dangerous Policies
The news that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the new Secretary of Health and Human Services has had many folks in the psychedelics field buzzing. Heavy hitters like Michael Pollan and even officials in the Department of Veterans Affairs have celebrated his appointment as a major step forward for psychedelic medicine. But let’s be real—this is not the win some people think it is. In fact, for communities of color, this could be a straight-up disaster.
Screenshot of a now deleted tweet
The Wrong Person to Lead Health Policy
If there’s one thing history has taught us, it’s that people of color have every reason to be skeptical of public health policies that claim to be in their best interest. From the Tuskegee Syphilis Study to the forced sterilization of Puerto Rican women, government-backed “health interventions” have rarely been about healing marginalized communities. So why should we suddenly trust RFK Jr., a man who spreads vaccine misinformation and has dangerous, outdated views on mental health?
Sure, he’s all in on psychedelics—but only in the most privileged, whitewashed way possible. Meanwhile, his stance on cannabis? That’s a whole different story.
Hypocrisy Runs Rampant
RFK Jr. has flip-flopped his stance on cannabis. On the campaign trail, he outwardly supported the legalization movement. Then, after securing the final vote for his new cabinet position, he argued on Fox News that cannabis can have “catastrophic impacts” on consumers while also noting that state-level legalization could lead to more research. Let’s not ignore the fact that Black people have been disproportionately criminalized for marijuana use for decades, only for rich white men to now profit off the industry.
And yet, this is the same guy psychedelics advocates want to celebrate? He supports research on psilocybin and MDMA while fear-mongering about cannabis, the very substance that has fueled the racialized war on drugs? It’s hypocritical, and it’s dangerous.
Work Camps for Depression? Yes, He Really Said That.
Speaking of dangerous, let’s talk about RFK Jr.’s “solution” to mental health issues like depression and ADHD: work camps. That’s right—he’s proposed rounding up people with mental health conditions and forcing them into labor programs. Ableism and classism are sure to run rampant with his new appointment.
For Black and Brown communities, this is especially alarming. We’ve seen how so-called “rehabilitative” programs have been used as tools of oppression. From chain gangs to mass incarceration, the idea of forcing marginalized people into labor in the name of “help” is a terrifying throwback to some of America’s cruelest policies.
If RFK Jr. is willing to treat mental health this way, what’s stopping him from implementing even harsher policies under the guise of psychedelics-assisted therapy? Who gets access to healing, and who gets sent to a work camp instead?
Who Actually Benefits from RFK Jr.’s Leadership?
There’s a hard truth the psychedelics community needs to face: many of its most vocal champions—Michael Pollan, Tim Ferriss, and others—are white, wealthy, and largely removed from the systemic oppression that people of color face in the healthcare system.
Sure, RFK Jr. might push forward some policies that expand access to psychedelics, but at what cost? If we’re not centering racial equity in this movement, we’re just repeating the same patterns of privilege and exclusion.
Psychedelics shouldn’t be a tool for rich white men to optimize their minds while the rest of us are left navigating a system that criminalizes and coerces us.
RFK Jr. Is Not the Ally Psychedelics Need
We need to stop treating support for psychedelics as an automatic pass for leadership. RFK Jr. has shown us exactly who he is—a politician willing to push harmful policies, promote medical misinformation, and ignore the realities of systemic racism.
The psychedelics movement has a choice: we can either fight for healing that includes everyone, or we can keep falling for the illusion of progress led by people who have no interest in protecting the most vulnerable among us.
RFK Jr. might be a win for some in the movement, but his appointment is a serious loss for our communities.
RFK Jr. and the Right-Wing Takeover of Psychedelics
For decades, the psychedelic movement has been rooted in healing, harm reduction, and decriminalization. But under the influence of figures like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., it’s becoming something else entirely—a playground for libertarian tech elites, conservative influencers, and people who see these substances not as tools for collective liberation, but as a means to amass power and profit.
RFK Jr. has latched onto the psychedelic space in a way that should make anyone who cares about equity deeply uneasy. On the surface, he appears pro-psychedelics, advocating for research into their mental health benefits. But look deeper, and it’s clear that his version of legalization isn’t for everyone—it’s for the wealthy, the well-connected, and those who play by his rules.
Legal for Me, Jail for Thee
The psychedelic movement was originally built on anti-establishment ideals and Indigenous knowledge. Now, it’s being reshaped by people who want to gatekeep access. While RFK Jr. and his wealthy allies can freely explore plant medicine, Black and Indigenous people still face arrest and imprisonment for the same substances. His “rehab farms” sound eerily similar to the same punitive drug policies that have fueled mass incarceration for decades. It’s a glaring double standard: white entrepreneurs get to open trendy psilocybin retreats, while Black people continue to be criminalized for carrying a gram of mushrooms.
The Psychedelic Right Is Here
The rise of the psychedelic right is no longer just a theory—it’s happening. Figures like Peter Thiel and an Elon Musk ally are investing in psychedelic startups. Right-wing influencers are flocking to ayahuasca retreats. And now, RFK Jr. is positioning himself as a champion of alternative medicine—while doing absolutely nothing to address the racist drug policies that have devastated communities of color. In fact, this isn’t about healing; it’s about control.
If RFK Jr. has his way, the psychedelic industry won’t be an inclusive space for marginalized communities. It’ll be another frontier for corporate greed, where access is determined by wealth, and the people who originally fought for decriminalization are left behind. The question isn’t whether psychedelics will go mainstream—it’s who will get to use them without fear of prosecution?
The psychedelic movement has a choice: resist this right-wing infiltration, or watch as it becomes yet another industry built on exclusion and inequality.