Medical marijuana is a great treatment for serious patients, according to the nominee of President Donald Trump.
Sara Carter is a well-known journalist who has covered drug cartels. She was chosen by Trump to be the director of Office of National Drug Control Policy.
Carter, according to the president, has been “on the frontlines of this International Fight since decades” and will “lead the charge to defend our Nation.”
Carter’s enthusiastic endorsement of medical marijuana will be welcomed by advocates, especially in light of the Senate confirms officials who have a mix of marijuana records.
According to a long-standing federal law, it is illegal for the Drug Czar to endorse the legalization Schedule I drugs under the Controlled Substances Act. This includes marijuana.
“The Director…shall ensure that no Federal funds appropriated to the Office of National Drug Control Policy shall be expended for any study or contract relating to the legalization (for a medical use or any other use) of a substance listed in schedule I of section 812 of this title and take such actions as necessary to oppose any attempt to legalize the use of a substance (in any form) that— (A) is listed in schedule I of section 812 of this title; and (B) has not been approved for use for medical purposes by the Food and Drug Administration.”
Trump had previously stated his support for the use of medical cannabis and also reclassification of marijuana.
While Carter has spoken often about various marijuana policy issues—focusing attention on illicit trafficking and illegal grow operations on U.S. land, for example—her public comments on how she personally feels about the topic are limited. She did, however, make a point of separating illicitly-supplied marijuana from legally regulated marijuana in an interview she gave last year.
“I’m fine with legalization and monitoring,” she replied. “I mean, I may have my own issues of how I feel about that, but I do believe that cannabis for medicinal purposes and medical reasons is a fantastic way of handling—especially for people with cancer and other illnesses, you know—of handling the illness and the side effects of the medication and those illnesses. Then I don’t think we should make it illegal.
Carter, if confirmed, will be the second drug czar to voice support for medical cannabis, after Rahul Gupta’s ONDCP Director, former president Joe Biden, who served as a consultant and oversaw the implementation of West Virginia’s medical marijuana program.
Carter has spoken out about cannabis in several podcasts, media interviews and press conferences, raising the alarm over the dangers of pesticides, other contaminants and marijuana sold and grown by Chinese cartels.
In the past, she discussed this issue with Derek Maltz. He is a former Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), now serving as Acting Administrator of the Agency as the Senate gets ready to confirm Trump’s permanent choice, Terrance Collins.
Carter claimed in an X-post about his Maltz interview that he had exposed the fact “Chinese marijuana growing operations were using harmful chemicals as pesticides.”
CLIP: Chinese🇨🇳 Marijuana Grows Are POISONING AMERICANS With TOXIC Pesticides
Last but not least #SaraCarterShowMy friend @derekmaltz_sr This article exposes how Chinese marijuana-growing operations use hazardous pesticides. Combined with an extremely high level of THC, this… pic.twitter.com/LPaEq32khc
— Sara A. Carter (@SaraCarterDC) June 12, 2024
The marijuana she smoked was full of harmful toxins, including THC. “This high-THC cannabis could cause serious harm to an unaware smoker,” said the woman. Is it this that is causing the increase in mental illnesses and anxiety among young Americans?
Maltz said that during the conversation, Merrick G. Garland, Biden’s Attorney General, had “hijacked”, or taken over, the DEA’s process of rescheduling marijuana by the Biden administration. He did this by breaking precedents and signing a proposed rule in place of Anne Milgram, then DEA Administrator.
Carter worked closely with Mike Garcia’s office in order to draw attention to the illegal cultivation operations that were taking place within Carter’s district. The investigation by local police was initiated as a result.
Carter thanked the congressman for his work, saying, “Your work in taking out the illegal marijuana plants has prevented cartels from exploitation of your community, people forced into work on them, and other workers.” [money].”
.@RepMikeGarcia your work in taking down the illegal marijuana grows has stopped cartels from exploiting your community, those people forced to work on them and the 💰going overseas – Kudos to you and the @lacountysheriff exposing these dangerous cartels is my job https://t.co/7hYZtfrP6Z
— Sara A. Carter (@SaraCarterDC) May 20, 2022
In an interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity in 2021, she also talked about her work with Garcia—including accompanying him on a helicopter to survey “miles and miles and miles of vast, sophisticated illegal grows worth tens of millions of dollars.”
Cartels are “every bit more brazen”. “They’re not ashamed of it,” said she. She said, “They’re not afraid of hiding it because they feel they’ll never be held responsible for it.”
Carter seems to have implicitly implied at various times that she favors regulated cannabis access as a method of improving public safety and health. It remains to be seen if and how this implied position will influence federal policy if Carter is confirmed as director of the ONDCP.
On her social media, Carter has previously shared links—without commentary—to news stories about a variety of marijuana-related issues. Carter has also shared information about the illegal cartel growers, as well as the votes on legalization at the state and federal levels, and the firing of Biden Administration staffers for past marijuana use. She’s even posted updates regarding the support of Democratic presidential candidates in favor of legalization.
House adopts landmark legislation decriminalizing cannabis at the federal level
“We have seen a generation, particularly of Black and Brown youth, locked up for offenses that should’ve not resulted in any incarceration whatsoever,” says @RepMattGaetzhttps://t.co/zV2XacSKIu
— Sara A. Carter (@SaraCarterDC) December 4, 2020
Kevin Sabet of Smart Approach to Marijuana, a prohibitionist group, released a press release on Carter’s nominating, saying that she is “well aware of the damage drugs can cause to individuals, their families, the communities and the society as a whole.”
SABET: CARTER, NOMINEE, KNOWS THE CONSEQUENCES THAT DRUGS HAVE ON INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES.
Doctor’s Statement @KevinSabet The following are some of the most effective ways to improve your own effectiveness. @POTUS @realDonaldTrump‘s Nomination of Sara Carter as ONDCP Director pic.twitter.com/LWebYi6nhh
— SAM (@learnaboutsam) March 28, 2025
He said: “We are hoping that Ms. Carter’s focus will be on prevention, recovery and treatment and acknowledge the destructive role of today’s potent marijuana in young minds.” It was also refreshing to read Ms. Carter’s reports on issues such as the transnational drug cartels and foreign involvement in underground marijuana operations. This showed her wide range of knowledge on these topics.
Carter also spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2019 about “Skittles Parties” in which “they pick a pill and take it.”
.@SaraCarterDC: “Our kids are having parties, they call them ‘Skittles parties,’ where they bring pills and put them into bowls and everybody picks a pill that they want and takes them. It’s shocking to hear about people randomly taking pills. pic.twitter.com/DB0OmPtn4F
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 1, 2019
She said, “It’s shocking to me that people would take pills randomly.”
Carter is one of a number of Trump’s nominees to hold important responsibilities in federal drug policy. Carter is the latest in a string of Trump nominees who hold key responsibilities when it comes to federal drug policy matters.
As an example, President Bush chose former Florida Attorney general Pam Bondi (R), and the Senate confirmed this choice. During her confirmation hearings, Bondi declined to say how she planned to navigate key marijuana policy issues. She also opposed medical cannabis legalization as the state’s attorney general.
Adding to the ongoing uncertainty around the fate of the rescheduling proposal Biden initiated, Trump’s nominee to lead DEA has previously voiced concerns about the dangers of marijuana and linked its use to higher suicide risk among youth.
Trump recently nominated a vociferously anti-cannabis official to serve as the lead attorney at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), drawing praise from prohibitionists.
The HHS, under Biden’s administration, has recommended that cannabis be rescheduled following a review of scientific evidence. However, the process has been delayed. This has raised questions regarding the influence new appointees could have.
HHS’s general counsel provides legal advice and interprets regulatory policies. He also oversees litigation that involves the agency. If Stuart is confirmed, this could have a major impact on future interpretations by HHS of the Controlled Substances Act requirements for marijuana’s schedule status.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was vocal in his previous support of marijuana legalization, as opposed to Mike Stuart, HHS’s nominee for general counsel, who has just been confirmed by the Senate.
Despite that stated support, however, following his confirmation Kennedy said last month that he is “worried about” the normalization of high-potency marijuana and that he feels its use can have “really catastrophic impacts” on people, but that state-level legalization can facilitate research into its harms and benefits.
The comments came on the same day that Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) said he received a commitment from Kennedy to “follow the science on the harms of marijuana.”
Ricketts had already disclosed earlier this month that he spoke to Kennedy about the the “importance” of “preventing the expansion of marijuana.” He says that “RFK promised me he’d follow science in regards to the harmful effects of marijuana.”
Despite Kennedy’s history of advocating for cannabis legalization, he said last month that he will defer to DEA on marijuana rescheduling in his new role.
While Trump hasn’t publicly addressed marijuana policy during his second-term, in a fact sheet published about an order signed by him, the White House stated that it was an “failed policy” that had “opened up the door for disorder.”
The stakeholders have tried to take advantage of Trump’s support for rescheduling. They appeal to Trump by framing this issue as an opportunity to help veterans and patients. According to the reasoning, Trump’s mandate would be followed regardless of what his other administration officials feel.
To that point, a marijuana industry-funded political action committee (PAC) is attacking Biden’s cannabis policy record as well as the nation of Canada, with new ads promoting sometimes misleading claims about the last administration while making the case that Trump can deliver on reform.
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