The fourth head of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in as many months has been given the green light by President Donald Trump, painting an even more worrying picture for the future of cannabis in the US.
Trump has now nominated Terrance C. Cole as the next DEA administrator, less than a month after appointing long-time cannabis sceptic Derek S. Maltz as ‘acting administrator.’
While it’s not yet clear why Maltz was shunned so quickly, his replacement, a 30-year law enforcement veteran and former DEA official, has caused even more panic in the country’s cannabis community.
Cole has historically taken an even more hardline stance than his all-too-temporary predecessor, publishing numerous public posts claiming, among other things, that cannabis is ‘four times more dangerous’ than 30 years ago, that it leads to higher suicide risk, while advocating a #justsayno stance.
Before taking office, Cole must still be confirmed by the Senate, which could prove to be a contentious process given his hardline stance on cannabis and drug enforcement. If confirmed, he will inherit the rescheduling review, along with growing scrutiny over the DEA’s role in delaying administrative hearings on the proposal.
While this places the rescheduling process on even more dangerous territory, one analyst told Business of Cannabis that it could signal much more serious consequences for cannabis policy in the country.
Deborah Tharp, cannabis legal researcher and consultant, says that this gives legitimacy to the theory that the administration is attempting to push through Project 2025 regardless of public opinion, including a war on state-legal cannabis.
“Trump has hardcore prohibitionists in all the right places now. Time to start praying for miracles.”
However, she stipulates that his choices reveal a lack of cohesive policy, no surprise given the president’s tendency to change his position on key topics on a dime.
This has already been demonstrated in his picks for the head of the DEA. Matt Gaetz, Trump’s first selection for administrator, announced in November that he was withdrawing himself from the process as he dealt with a House of Ethics Committee investigation into sexual misconduct.
His next choice, Florida County Sheriff Chad Chronister, abruptly withdrew his nomination for the post just weeks later.
Chronister’s sudden exit was initially framed as a voluntary withdrawal, citing dedication to his constituents; however, Trump soon sought to correct this to his own narrative, stating: “He didn’t pull out. I pulled him out because I did not like what he said to my pastors and other supporters.”
With suspicions that the far-right think tank, The Heritage Foundation, is largely guiding this administration, Tharp fears the US is ‘going to get very, very regressive’ in the coming months and years.
However, as the breakneck speed of change has demonstrated so far, nothing is certain in the age of Trump, and the continued bipartisan support for cannabis reform may yet prove to be a key factor in the market’s future.
