Trump’s New DEA Pick Has “Just Say No” Stance on Marijuana

President Donald Trump has officially named his pick to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)—selecting a decades-long agency veteran and top Virginia official who’s voiced concerns about the dangers of marijuana and linked its use to higher suicide risk among youth.

On February 11, Trump announced that he’s nominating Terrance Cole to serve as DEA administrator in place of Acting Administrator Derek Maltz.

Cole worked at the DEA for 21 years and currently serves as Virginia’s secretary of public safety and homeland security (PSHS), where part of his responsibility is to oversee the state Cannabis Control Authority (CCA).

After a visit to the CCA’s office in 2024, Cole posted on LinkedIn: “Everybody knows my stance on marijuana after 30 plus years in law enforcement, so don’t even ask!”

For those unfamiliar with his position on the issue however, the post was accompanied by hashtags including #justsayno, #disorders, #notlegal4distribution, #healthissues, #thinblueline and #backtheblue.

In February 2024, he also shared a link to an article posed on a DEA website titled “NOT ‘Just Weed’: Four Times More Dangerous in Three Decades” that links high THC content in cannabis to “increased problems with memory and learning, distorted perception, difficulty in thinking and problem-solving, and loss of coordination.”

“Even more disturbingly, all too often, people are unaware that marijuana, especially when it contains more THC, is a risk factor for psychosis and schizophrenia, as well as the fact that it stunts brain growth, sometimes includes lead and mercury, and can alter male sperm DNA linked to autism,” the post says.

It doesn’t appear that Cole has publicly weighed in on the Biden administration-initiated marijuana rescheduling proposal, which was also endorsed by Trump on the campaign trail.

That month, Cole also shared a study finding “higher suicide risks linked to marijuana and alcohol use in high school.”

It doesn’t appear that Cole has publicly weighed in on the Biden administration-initiated marijuana rescheduling proposal, which was also endorsed by Trump on the campaign trail. If confirmed by the Senate, the official will inherit that administrative process.

For advocates, the new selection to lead the DEA is hardly more encouraging for the prospects of reform compared to the acting administrator, Maltz, who subscribes to the “gateway drug” theory for marijuana, and believes most people living in states that have legalized cannabis will continue to obtain it from illicit sources due to high taxes in regulated markets.

Maltz has been particularly critical of the current marijuana rescheduling effort, claiming that the Justice Department “hijacked” the process from the DEA when it advanced a recommendation from the Unitd States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act.

Historically it has been the DEA administrator signing off on drug scheduling moves, but in this case the cannabis proposed rule was signed by then-Attorney General Merrick Garland.

For now, administrative hearings on the rescheduling proposal that were scheduled to begin in January have been delayed, with an agency judge recently granting an appeal motion from pro-reform witnesses that will set the clock back at least three months, amid allegations of improper communications between the DEA and rescheduling opponents, and more.

Trump initially chose Hillsborough County, Florida Sheriff Chad Chronister to lead the DEA, but the prospective nominee—who strongly advocated for marijuana decriminalization—withdrew from consideration in December amid scrutiny from conservative lawmakers over the sheriff’s record on COVID-related public safety enforcement actions.

Cole was appointed to lead PSHS by Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R), who strongly opposes marijuana legalization.

Meanwhile, Trump’s choice for US attorney general, former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi (R), is declining to say how she plans to navigate key marijuana policy issues—including the ongoing rescheduling process and renewing federal enforcement guidance—if she’s ultimately confirmed.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s nominee to lead HHS, said recently that he will defer to the DEA on marijuana rescheduling if confirmed. And he’d “like to review the data” that led to the health agency’s recommendation for the reform before he potentially embraces it—despite his previous, repeated calls for cannabis legalization.

Meanwhile, in Virginia, Cole also served as an ex officio member of the state’s Cannabis Equity Reinvestment Board.

Cole was appointed to lead PSHS by Governor Glenn Youngkin (R), who strongly opposes marijuana legalization and is currently threatening to veto a bill that was recently approved in the Virginia House and awaits final approval in the Senate to create a system of regulated, adult-use sales. He vetoed similar legislation that reached his desk in 2024.

Youngkin emphasized during his State of the Commonwealth address in January that he’s not interested in cooperating with lawmakers to legalize marijuana sales in the state, claiming that doing so would hurt children, worsen mental health and increase violent crime.

It’s not clear to what extent, if at all, Cole has been consulted, or weighed in on, the governor’s cannabis platform or any recent legalization proposals behind the scenes.

Top image shows detail from 1980s US government anti-marijuana poster via GetArchive/Public Domain

This story was originally published by Marijuana Moment, which tracks the politics and policy of cannabis and drugs. Follow Marijuana Moment on Twitter and Facebook, and sign up for its newsletter.