Will The New DEA Head Align With Obama's Drug Reform Views?

On Tuesday, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration Michele Leonhart was stepping down in May. The announcement follows weeks of criticism over her handling of reports that FBI agents were attending sex parties paid for by drug cartels in Colombia.

Leonhart's retirement was music to marijuana advocates' ears, as her view on marijuana reform was in sharp contrast to that of President Obama's own publicized views.

Against Reform

Leonhart was appointed to lead the DEA in 2012 by President Obama, though she had been serving as Acting Administrator since the resignation of her predecessor Karen Tandy.

During that time, she expressed firm opposition to the legalization of both recreational and medicinal marijuana.

Despite the President's view that states should decide whether or not to legalize the drug, Leonhard maintained her anti-marijuana stance.

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Diverging Viewpoints

During her eight-year stint at the helm of the DEA, Leonhard raised eyebrows with some of her anti-marijuana comments.

Last year, rumors circulated that she criticized the President for giving an interview in which he said that marijuana was no more dangerous than alcohol during a closed-door meeting.

Time For Change

Now that she is leaving the agency, marijuana activists are hoping the President will nominate a more open minded successor, whose views more closely align with his own.

Many have already begun calling for Obama's consideration of candidates who are also committed to marijuana reform, viewing this as an opportunity for Obama to back up his rhetoric and demonstrate his commitment to marijuana reform.

 
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