Terrance C. Col has been nominated by President Donald Trump to replace Derek Maltz as acting administrator at the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Cole, a veteran of the DEA who is currently Virginia’s Secretary for Public Safety and Homeland Security has issued strong statements against marijuana legalization, as evidenced by public posts on social media.
Cole stated in an article on LinkedIn dated February 20, 2024 that “after 30+ years working for law enforcement everyone knows what my stand on marijuana is, so please don’t bother asking!” The post included hashtags such as #justsayno, #disorders, #notlegal4distribution and #healthissues.
Cole shared an article last year on Facebook stating that marijuana was “four times as dangerous” today than it had been three decades earlier, on the basis of increasing THC potency reported by University of Mississippi’s Potency Monitoring Project. A post by X, formerly Twitter, linked high-school students who use marijuana to a higher risk of suicide.
It comes after weeks of the rescheduling procedure being temporarily stopped by an interlocutory request granted by the Chief Administrative Law Judge at the Agency.
Uncertainty remains about whether the effort to reschedule will proceed under the current administration. As soon as Trump took office, he issued a memo freezing all regulations.
Trump supported rescheduling of marijuana from Schedule II to Schedule III as part of his 2016 presidential campaign, saying: “As the President, I will keep focusing on research in order to uncover medical benefits for marijuana.”
Trulieve’s Kim Rivers, Cresco Laboratories CEO Charlie Bachtell and Curaleaf Chief Executive Officer Boris Jordan are among the people who courted Trump in order to get him to support corporate marijuana interests. Rivers and Batchell paid to attend Trump’s inaugural events last month to push for issues such as marijuana rescheduling, banking access and other marijuana-related concerns.
Jordan said on a conference call with investors after the election that “we’ve been in contact with his transitional team” to make sure the new administration keeps its promises to the sector.
Rivers reportedly also paid Trump a trip during the presidential campaign. However, Trulieve’s chief refused to confirm this directly. Green Market Report When asked about cannabis at a press event days before November’s election, he pointed out that it was significant for a Republican candidate to support reclassifying the drug.
Additionally, some industry insiders have been trying to keep their hopes up that Trump’s new U.S. Attorney General, Pam Bondi, could help shape a more favorable approach – though she has declined to answer how she would approach policy around the issue for now. Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, who acted as Trump’s attorney during his impeachment case in the first instance, has worked at a lobbying firm for people like Trulieve.
Cole’s nominee has raised concerns among those who support marijuana policy reform, considering his statements and past record. According to the White House, Cole spent 21 years with the DEA before he was appointed to Virginia’s current position. He served in Colombia, Afghanistan, and Mexico.
Trump said in a Truth Social posting Tuesday that Cole will “save people’s lives and make America safe again.”
Cole still needs to be confirmed in the Senate for him to assume his role as DEA administrator.