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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and I have something in common: a history of substance use disorder. He prefers the most familiar nomenclature, referring to himself as an “addict.” I have been moving away from labels like that—to me they aren’t fully accurate, nor very helpful. I’m guessing he would disagree, given his stance on the subject. According to RFK Jr., when a person is using drugs, they are automatically “ living against conscience ” while “pushing God to the peripheries.” Which is why Donald Trump’s new health and human services secretary frames the current situation the nation faces as a kind of cosmic struggle for the soul of America, one in which drug users

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