# Was JFK a Meth Addict? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 6, 2011, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-jfk-a-meth-addict/577427 "2011-04-06T18:05:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Big\_Norse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/big_norse/32/9954_2.png) [@Big\_Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Big_Norse)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-jfk-a-meth-addict/577427/21 "2011-04-07T19:12:08Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > I think this question hasn’t been answered. What is the protocol if the President of the United States asks the Secret Service to cook him up some meth in one of the sub-basements? The Secret Service didn’t intervene when the Bush sisters drank in bars illegally (underage), so they probably wouldn’t stop POTUS cooking meth for legal reasons. But I think they’d definitely stop him from endangering himself, which is their job. ---
**Author:** ![Voluble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/4af34b/32.png) [@Voluble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voluble)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-jfk-a-meth-addict/577427/22 "2011-06-14T02:46:25Z")
> [@Big\_Norse](#): > > The Secret Service didn’t intervene when the Bush sisters drank in bars illegally (underage), so they probably wouldn’t stop POTUS cooking meth for legal reasons. But I think they’d definitely stop him from endangering himself, which is their job. Those are obviously whole orders of magnitude different. Unless of course the Bush twins were negotiating with a malignant empire fresh off murdering tens of millions of people while they were drinking. I would like to think that someone would stop a man in charge of the world’s largest nuclear arsenal from doing something like meth — which may be what you are saying in a roundabout way. Part of the controversy is that apparently Kennedy had an injection before his disastrous meeting with Kruschev. He let himself be lectured while not offering much of a response and Kruschev came away thinking Kennedy was weak and planned his actions accordingly. Kennedy knew he had screwed things up and said as much once the meeting was over. His advisers at that time tried to get him to quit seeking treatment from Dr. Feelgood. My understanding is he did not do so because he liked how the shots made him feel thus the suspicion of addiction. According to “The Atlantic” amphetamines were definitely part of the injections but the dosage they contained is anybody’s guess. It would not surprise me if Jacobson himself did not know. So the question may not be so much was Kennedy an addict but rather did what he was taking affect his performance and nearly lead to disastrous consequences? It may have been Kennedy’s naivete’ and inexperience that caused him to perform so poorly and those around him may have been casting about for excuses. But it can’t be dismissed out of hand that drugs may have played a role. Perhaps it was both or neither. But that is why there are so many questions still around today. Amphetamines were not the only thing Kennedy was taking. His primary physician kept a log and it was pretty voluminous — including daily testosterone, phenobarbital and tuinal to name just three. The last was to sleep and contained Amytal, the truth serum drug. This was all interesting to me because Kennedy died about the time I was born and the superficial view you get is that he was hale and hardy… cut down in the prime of life… but that couldn’t be further from the truth. He was sick and weak for much of his life and was actually given the last rites on three separate occasions including the final one when he was assassinated. It also left me wondering how many of our presidents could pass the typical drug screen we give to forklift operators. Scary stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Big\_Norse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/big_norse/32/9954_2.png) [@Big\_Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Big_Norse)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-jfk-a-meth-addict/577427/23 "2011-06-14T18:06:30Z")
> [@Voluble](#): > > Those are obviously whole orders of magnitude different. Unless of course the Bush twins were negotiating with a malignant empire fresh off murdering tens of millions of people while they were drinking. I would like to think that someone would stop a man in charge of the world’s largest nuclear arsenal from doing something like meth — which may be what you are saying in a roundabout way. Agreed, but would it be the Secret Service’s job or the job of the VP or Cabinet? Aren’t they just supposed to remain blind to what’s going on a just make sure he isn’t harmed? For example: they wouldn’t intervene if he was having an affair and they were forced to witness it. (Which gets me thinking about how much the guys guarding Clinton have seen.) ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-jfk-a-meth-addict/577427/24 "2011-06-14T18:25:44Z")
The articleI mentioned also made mention that Dr. Jacobsen “treated” the baseball star Mickey Mantle. Mantle developed a severe infection, because Jacobsen had (apparently) failed to sterilize the needle. Is there any evidence that Kennedy actually became mentally imbalanced, as a result of his drug use? ---
**Author:** ![Lestrade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Lestrade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lestrade)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-jfk-a-meth-addict/577427/25 "2011-06-14T18:47:57Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Sorry, but I thought that GD was a suitable form (as the American History article never did say if what Dr. Jacobson administered to JFK was in fact methamphetamines. > They did show a vial of something..which they claim/inferred contained a mixture of drugs and amphetamines. I don’t think you’re saying what you mean. There are many amphetamines, one of which is [methamphetamine](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methamphetamine). While I cannot vouch for its authority, [this page](http://www.semp.us/publications/biot_reader.php?BiotID=678) claims: > [@](#): > > He was indicted on January 26, 1971, found guilty and sentenced to five years in prison by a federal judge for one count of conspiring to violate the federal food and drug laws relating to stimulant or depressant drugs and of four counts of selling, delivering, and disposing of amphetamine sulphate in violation of 21 U.S.C. Secs. 321, 331(q) (2), 333 and 360a(b) (Supp. V 1969). (10-12) It seems unlikely JFK was given meth, it wasn’t a commonly available drug in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-jfk-a-meth-addict/577427/26 "2011-06-14T20:06:03Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Is there any evidence that Kennedy actually became mentally imbalanced, as a result of his drug use? I have seen no evidence that JFK was mentally unbalanced, for any reason. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-jfk-a-meth-addict/577427.md?page=1)