The Drug Enforcement Administration is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating illicit drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S. It is the lead agency for domestic enforcement of the Controlled Substances Act,sharing concurrent jurisdiction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation,the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement,and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. However,the DEA has sole responsibility for coordinating and pursuing U.S. drug investigations both domestically and abroad. It was established in 1973 as part of the U.S. government's War on Drugs. The DEA has an intelligence unit that is also a member of the U.S. Intelligence Community. While the unit is part of the DEA chain-of-command,it also reports to the Director of National Intelligence. The DEA has been criticized for scheduling drugs that have medical uses,and for focusing on operations that allow it to seize money rather than those involving drugs that cause more harm.
In the United States,the removal of cannabis from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act is a proposed legal and administrative change in cannabis-related law at the federal level. It has been proposed repeatedly since 1972. The category is the most tightly restricted category reserved for drugs that have "no currently accepted medical use.”
John C. "Jack" Lawn served as the 4th Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) from 1985 to 1990. On 1 March 1985,Lawn,who had served as Deputy Administrator since 1982,was designated Acting Administrator following the retirement of Francis M. Mullen. On 4 April 1985,he was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to be the next Administrator of the DEA. Mr. Lawn was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on 16 July 1985,and sworn in on 26 July 1985.
Robert Cleve Bonner is an American former prosecutor,former United States District Judge,former Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration and former Commissioner of United States Customs and Border Protection. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the California Institute of Technology,a retired partner at the law firm Gibson,Dunn &Crutcher and former Chair of the California Commission on Judicial Performance.
Thomas A. Constantine served as the 6th Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) from March 1994 to July 1999.
Donnie R. Marshall is an American federal agent who served as the 7th Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) from 1999 to 2001.
The Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970,Pub. L. 91–513,84 Stat. 1236,enacted October 27,1970,is a United States federal law that,with subsequent modifications,requires the pharmaceutical industry to maintain physical security and strict record keeping for certain types of drugs. Controlled substances are divided into five schedules on the basis of their potential for abuse,accepted medical use,and accepted safety under medical supervision. Substances in Schedule I have a high potential for abuse,no accredited medical use,and a lack of accepted safety. From Schedules II to V,substances decrease in potential for abuse. The schedule a substance is placed in determines how it must be controlled. Prescriptions for drugs in all schedules must bear the physician's federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) license number,but some drugs in Schedule V do not require a prescription. State schedules may vary from federal schedules.
Anne Melissa Milgram is an American attorney and academic serving as the 11th Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) since 2021.
Karen Pomerantz Tandy is an American attorney and law enforcement official who served as the 9th Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration from 2003 to 2007. She was nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on July 31,2003. She was the first female head of the DEA.
Michele Marie Leonhart is an American career law enforcement officer who served as Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) from 2010 to 2015,as well as in an acting capacity from 2007 to 2010. After the resignation of Administrator Karen P. Tandy in the fall of 2007,Leonhart also served as Acting Administrator of the DEA. On February 2,2010,President Barack Obama nominated Leonhart for the position of DEA Administrator.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency is the lead anti-drug law enforcement agency,responsible for preventing,investigating and combating any dangerous drugs,controlled precursors and essential chemicals within the Philippines. The agency is tasked with the enforcement of the penal and regulatory provisions of Republic Act No. 9165,otherwise known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Myles Joseph Ambrose was an American lawyer and United States federal government official. He served as the Commissioner of Customs under President Richard M. Nixon and paved the way for the establishment of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
In the United States,the use of cannabis for medical purposes is legal in 38 states,four out of five permanently inhabited U.S. territories,and the District of Columbia,as of March 2023. Ten other states have more restrictive laws limiting THC content,for the purpose of allowing access to products that are rich in cannabidiol (CBD),a non-psychoactive component of cannabis. There is significant variation in medical cannabis laws from state to state,including how it is produced and distributed,how it can be consumed,and what medical conditions it can be used for.
Thomas M. Harrigan was the Deputy Administrator for the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and a DEA Special Agent for nearly 25 years. He was nominated by President Barack Obama to the position of DEA Deputy Administrator on February 18,2011. He was confirmed as DEA Deputy Administrator by the United States Senate on March 29,2012.
Chuck Rosenberg is an American attorney who served as Acting Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration from 2015 to 2017. He formerly served as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA) and for the Southern District of Texas;as a senior FBI official on the staff of two FBI Directors;as Counselor to the Attorney General;as the Chief of Staff to the Deputy Attorney General;and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in EDVA in Norfolk and Alexandria.
William J. Walker is a retired United States Army major general and former Sergeant at Arms of the U.S. House of Representatives. He was the 38th House Sergeant at Arms and the first African-American to hold the office. He last served as the 23rd Commanding General of the District of Columbia National Guard. This responsibility includes command of the District of Columbia Army and Air National Guard units. Walker previously served in the Drug Enforcement Administration as a Special Agent and was promoted to the Senior Executive Service in January 2003,with his final assignment being Deputy Assistant Administrator in Charge of the Office of Strategic Warning Intelligence. Walker is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a National Academy of Public Administration Fellow.
Uttam Anthony Singh Dhillon is an American attorney and law enforcement official who served as Acting Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration from July 2,2018,to May 18,2020. He is married to Janet Dhillon,a former commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Timothy Shea is an American attorney and prosecutor who served as acting Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration from 2020 to 2021. Previously,he was interim United States attorney for the District of Columbia,the country's largest U.S. attorney's office;a senior counselor to U.S. Attorney General William Barr at the Department of Justice;a lobbyist;and private corporate lawyer.
The Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration is the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration,a United States federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Justice,tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within the United States. The current administrator is Anne Milgram.
Preston L. Grubbs is an American law enforcement officer who served as the principal deputy administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration from 2017 to 2021.
