[Devil_Anse]

My father recognized the puffiness of Kennedy's cheeks as a sign of use of some drug or other, I can't remember what it was, b/c I was a kid when he said it. He used to point that out when he saw Kennedy on TV.

This is not to say that Kennedy was using the drug illegally. What I'm saying is that my father recognized the signs of being medicated with a certain drug, which led to speculation of what Kennedy was being medicated for. (Turned out to be Addison's Disease, among other things.)

[Howlin]

"The medical records reveal that Kennedy variously took codeine, Demerol and methadone for pain; Ritalin, a stimulant; meprobamate and librium for anxiety; barbiturates for sleep; thyroid hormone; and injections of a blood derivative, gamma globulin, a medicine that combats infections."

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/GMA/GoodMorningAmerica/GMA021118JFK_medical_problems.html

[Pelham]

The puffiness in JFK's face was caused by cortisone. His medical use of that drug was public knowledge. His recreational drug use was another matter.