Head of DEA Resigns over Differences with Trump
photo by Gage Skidmore
Chuck Rosenberg, acting head of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced yesterday that he will resign effective on October 1, reportedly over differences with President Trump, saying that the president condoned police misconduct.
Tuesday Rosenberg sent an internal email to DEA staff announcing his plans to resign. “The neighborhoods in which we live are better for your commitment to the rule of law, dedication to the cause of justice, and perseverance in the face of adversity,” Rosenberg wrote in the email, according to The Washington Post. “You will continue to do great things. I will continue to root for you, now from the sidelines.” Rosenberg worked as chief of staff under former F.B.I. director James B. Comey, a close friend. After Comey was fired last May, people speculated about the future of Rosenberg’s position.
Trump directed a room full of law enforcement officers in Long Island on July 28 to “please don’t be too nice” when handling crime suspects. Rosenberg quickly fired back in a memo. “We have an obligation to speak out when something is wrong,” he wrote in a July 29 memo.
But what does this mean for the cannabis industry? The answer may not be so clear. “Acting DEA Chief Chuck Rosenberg’s resignation will most likely push the cannabis industry into more unfriendly territory,” Jamie Schau, Senior Analyst at Brightfield Group, said in a statement. “Though never a strong advocate of the substance—Rosenberg was quoted calling medical marijuana a ‘joke’ in 2015—during his two-year tenure, the acting DEA Chief has followed former president Obama’s counsel that federal prosecutors refrain from targeting marijuana operations in states that have legalized cannabis, and has attempted to permit more research on cannabis despite pushback from the DOJ.”
Reportedly New Jersey State Police Superintendent Colonel Rick Fuentes is being considered as a replacement. Fuentes, who’s been involved with high-profile drug trafficking cases, has been eyed by the Trump administration since as early as last July.
