At a time when agencies across the federal government are seeing massive spending and workforce cuts under the Trump administration, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is actively ramping up recruitment—urging people to join them on the frontlines of the “war on drugs,” even if they currently work as a “coffee barista” or otherwise have a non-law enforcement background.
DEA wasn’t only spared the slashing and burning approach of federal spending orchestrated by Elon musk, who runs the Department of Government Efficiency. According to reports, the agency appears ready for expansion.
In a number of posts made on the DEA’s social media pages, DEA stated that up to 2,500 people could apply to be special agent. More than 1,700 applications had already been received, although it was not clear how many of the 2,500 applicants the DEA plans to hire as special agents.
Vivek RAMASWAMY, a former GOP candidate for president and a DOGE leader along with Musk was originally charged to shrink the federal government. And Ramaswamy previously insisted on expanding DEA, despite his stated support for marijuana and psychedelics legalization.
In a recruiting video that was embedded into the job listing, DEA declared, “Our mission: to fight the war against drugs”.
The language used is significant, because there has generally been a move away from the drug war discourse in the last few years. There have also been criticisms about the effectiveness and costs of the punitive approach that the nation took to fight illicit drugs, ever since the former president Richard Nixon declared this “war.”
A DEA spokesperson said that “no one can do what we are doing better than us”.
You heard it? #DEA We are hiring Special Agents.
The job announcement opened today, & 𝟏,𝟕𝟎𝟎+ applications have been received!
The number of applications accepted is limited to 2,500. You don’t want to miss the chance to help make a change.
Apply Now! #DEAJobs #DEACareers pic.twitter.com/RjSiiplETZ
— DEA HQ (@DEAHQ) April 7, 2025
“We are from many different backgrounds.” “We have former teachers or one of the students in our academy is a former skydiver,” said another.
It doesn’t really matter whether you are a barista at a coffee shop or a SWAT-sniper.
Here’s DEA’s summary The special agents it is recruiting:
“TOUGH WORK. VITAL MISSION. Challenge yourself! You are able to fight the drug trade. Join the DEA. The mission is important, and the work can be challenging. Your work will be rewarding, regardless of your expertise or background. It will impact the national security of America and improve quality of life for all Americans.
The video was posted on DEA YouTube last month, even though the title says it was made under Joe Biden’s presidency in 2024. The video is being promoted as the agency begins accepting applications. This will last until Monday.
𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍! DEA seeks qualified people to be Special Agents. If you want to make a difference, APPLY TODAY! There will only be 2500 accepted applications. Only 2500 applications will be accepted. #DEAJobs pic.twitter.com/e7JyAVc9Xz
— DEA HQ (@DEAHQ) April 7, 2025
Video emphasizes that candidates accepted to be a DEA agent special will undergo job training, which includes instruction on firearms and writing reports. One person pitches the role by saying it involves “every aspect of what you think about when you think of the word ‘special agent.'”
“DEA, I’m sure you have that family. All of us are together. Another representative adds, “We have a strong bond as a small company.”
DEA may not be as huge a law-enforcement department compared with FBI. It isn’t “small” at all, but with more than $3 billion in budget and approximately 10,000 employees on staff.
Despite this, the DEA workforce doesn’t appear to have been affected by cuts made against other agencies like the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or Department of Energy.
Musk’s part has played in to the cannabis culture at times, including smoking a joint while listening to Joe Rogan’s show before starting his job at DOGE. He said in February that it was “a great idea” for all federal workers to be drug tested as an alternative way of cutting the federal workforce.
Last week, however, a Democratic Congresswoman introduced a bill which would force Musk and all other employees of DOGE to undergo drug tests in order to retain their status as “special government employees”.
Meanwhile, DEA recently promoted an “Anti-420 Day” campaign that’s recruiting students to send short videos warning their peers about marijuana use.
The top position at the agency is currently being held on an interim basis by Acting Administrator Derek Maltz, who has made a series of sensational claims about marijuana—calling it a gateway drug that sets children up to use other substances and alleging that the Justice Department “hijacked” the cannabis rescheduling process from DEA, for example.
But Trump has since named his pick for a permanent administrator, selecting a decades-long agency veteran and top Virginia official, Terrance Cole, who’s separately voiced concerns about the dangers of marijuana and linked its use to higher suicide risk among youth.
Background: A proposal for rescheduling marijuana, which was started under Biden’s administration, is now in the court of the DEA, although administrative hearings regarding the rule stalled at the end the former president’s tenure due to complications with selected witnesses.
Both advocates and stakeholders felt disappointed when the White House Office of Drug Control Policy released a priority list for Trump’s term last week. The list did not contain any mention of cannabis rescheduling, or other marijuana reforms. Trump supported rescheduling during the election, but has not addressed it publicly since he took office.
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