RFK Jr. says it's the model for addiction treatment. Experts disagree
Apr 30, 2026•10 min
Listen to this episode in Metacast mobile app
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more
Episode description
HHS Secretary RFK Jr. thinks he has the answer to addiction treatment. The experts say otherwise.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. thinks he’s cracked the code for addiction treatment.
Kennedy, who used heroin for more than a decade, believes wellness, work and abstinence like the methods practiced in a rural Italian facility are the keys to sobriety.
But Kennedy is facing new criticism over his proposal to open government-run farm and work camps. NPR addiction correspondent Brian Mann traveled to Italy to see things up close.For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
This episode was produced by Kai McNamee and Tyler Bartlam.
It was edited by Andrea de Leon and Courtney Dorning.
Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. thinks he’s cracked the code for addiction treatment.
Kennedy, who used heroin for more than a decade, believes wellness, work and abstinence like the methods practiced in a rural Italian facility are the keys to sobriety.
But Kennedy is facing new criticism over his proposal to open government-run farm and work camps. NPR addiction correspondent Brian Mann traveled to Italy to see things up close.For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
This episode was produced by Kai McNamee and Tyler Bartlam.
It was edited by Andrea de Leon and Courtney Dorning.
Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android