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.
Trump nominated Terrance Cole as DEA Administrator on Tuesday to replace Derek Maltz, the Acting Administrator.
Cole spent 21 years at the DEA and is now Virginia’s Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security, where he oversees Virginia’s Cannabis Control Authority.
Cole wrote on LinkedIn after visiting CCA last year: “Everybody already knows my stand on marijuana from 30+ years of law enforcement experience, don’t bother asking!”
For those who aren’t familiar with his position on the issue however, the post was accompanied by hashtags including #justsayno, #disorders, #notlegal4distribution, #healthissues, #thinblueline and #backtheblue.
Last February, 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.”
Have you spent enough time with friends or in clubs and parties? This article is from The @DEAHQ to learn the dangers of peer pressure and marijuana use: https://t.co/uuj0YcscXP
— Secretary Terrance Cole (@VA_PSHS) February 21, 2024
The post states that “Also, it is disturbing that many people do not know that marijuana, particularly when it has more THC in it, can be a risk for schizophrenia and psychosis, that it slows down brain development, that it may contain lead or mercury and that it alters male sperm’s DNA, which could cause autism.”
Cole also shared in February a study that found “higher risks of suicide linked to high-school marijuana and alcohol consumption.”
Are you concerned about the youth of today? According to a recent study, marijuana and alcohol use among high-school students is linked with increased suicide risk.
To educate and support our youth, please read the full article here: https://t.co/XaALZQPfqZ
— Secretary Terrance Cole (@VA_PSHS) February 13, 2024
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. The official, if confirmed by the Senate will inherit the administrative process.
Cole was also an ex-officio board member for the Cannabis Equity Reinvestment Board in Virginia.
This story is in development and will be regularly updated.
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Side Pocket Images. Image courtesy Chris Wallis.