Senate Approves Trump’s White House Drug Czar Pick Who Supports Medical Marijuana As Rescheduling Looms

The Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump’s pick to serve as White
House drug czar.

Sara Carter Bailey, who will soon be officially sworn in as director of the
Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) following a 52-48
confirmation vote on Tuesday, will play a central role in implementing the
administration’s drug policy agenda. That includes everything from
marijuana and psychedelics to harm reduction and overdose prevention.

The full Senate’s approval of Carter comes about three months after the
Judiciary Committee advanced her nomination.

Carter has voiced support for medical cannabis, while stating that she
doesn’t have a “problem” with legalization, even if she might not
personally agree with the policy.

A former journalist known for her coverage of drug cartels, the incoming
ONDCP director also previously advised senators that the administration was keeping
“all options” on the table as it considered a marijuana rescheduling
proposal, while describing cannabis reform as a “bipartisan issue.”

Despite her personal ambiguity on the rescheduling issue, Trump last month
signed an executive order directing the attorney general to expeditiously
complete the process of moving cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of
the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

Given the role of the ONDCP director in setting and carrying out the
administrative agenda on drug policy issues, the fact that Carter has gone
on the record enthusiastically endorsing medical cannabis in the past is
welcome news for advocates.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) raised the issue of cannabis rescheduling with the
then-nominee in September, stating that the incremental reform would
represents a “step in the right direction.”

“It would open up the door to more scientific study, and so I’m wondering
if you were confirmed, how would you advise the American president about
the ongoing rescheduling process?” he asked.

Carter said she shares Booker’s passion for the issue, which she
characterized as “bipartisan.”

“If confirmed as director, I will comply with all federal laws and fulfill
all statutory responsibilities of the ONDCP,” she said. “However, we will
continue to work extensively with research and data. We will continue to do
that and explore all options.”

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 have been limited. What she did say in a
2024 episode of her podcast, The Sara Carter Show, signaled that she draws
a distinction between legally regulated and illicitly supplied marijuana.

“I don’t have any problem if it’s legalized and it’s monitored,” she said.
“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. So I’m not saying we’ve gotta make it
illegal.”

Last month, a Democratic senator temporarily held up the Republican
majority’s attempt to advance Carter’s confirmation, saying she is among
many “unqualified” candidates who threaten to “undermine the rule of law
and our national security.”

Carter will be the second White House drug czar in a row who has voiced
support for medical marijuana, following former President Joe Biden’s ONDCP
director Rahul Gupta, who worked as a consultant for a cannabis businesses
and also oversaw implementation of West Virginia’s medical marijuana
program.

On her social media, Carter has previously shared links—without
commentary—to news stories about a variety of marijuana-related issues. In
addition to her focus on illicit cartel grows, she’s also posted about
congressional and state-level legalization votes, staffers in the Biden
administration being fired over past cannabis use, Democratic presidential
candidates’ support for legalization, the advancement of cannabis banking
legislation in Congress and state policy developments such as Alaska’s
legalization of cannabis cafes.

Federal statute dictates the drug czar is prohibited from endorsing the
legalization of Schedule I drugs in the CSA, including 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.”

Last April, Democratic congressional lawmakers announced the filing of a
bill that would remove that restriction. It has not yet advanced in the
GOP-controlled Congress.

Carter has separately sounded the alarm about the risk of pesticides and
other contaminants in marijuana grown and sold by Chinese cartels—an issue
that was taken up by a House committee last year.

Also last year, the incoming ONDCP director talked about the issue with
Derek Maltz, a then-retired Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) official
who temporarily served as acting administrator of the agency prior to the
confirmation of Trump’s permanent pick, Terrance Cole.

In an X post about the interview with Maltz, Carter said he exposed how
“Chinese marijuana grow operations are using hazardous chemicals as
pesticides.”

In 2022, U.S. Rep. Mike Garcia (R-CA) applauded Carter, who worked with his
office to bring attention to illicit grow operations in his district,
leading to a local law enforcement investigation.

Carter gave the congressman credit, saying “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 [money].”

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 have “become extremely more brazen. They’re not afraid of hiding
it,” she said. “They don’t hide it because they don’t feel that they’ll
ever be held accountable for it.”

In a sense, Carter has seemed to implicitly suggest at multiple times that
she supports regulated access to cannabis as a means of promoting public
safety and health. Whether and how that implied position will influence
federal policy now that she’s confirmed is yet to be seen.

On her social media, she’s previously shared links—without commentary—to
news stories about a variety of marijuana-related issues. In addition to
her focus on illicit cartel grows, she’s also posted about congressional
and state-level legalization votes, staffers in the Biden administration
being fired over past cannabis use, Democratic presidential
candidates’ support for legalization, the advancement of cannabis banking
legislation in Congress and state policy developments such as
Alaska’s legalization of cannabis cafes.

*Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer.*

The post Senate Approves Trump’s White House Drug Czar Pick Who Supports
Medical Marijuana As Rescheduling Looms appeared first on Marijuana Moment.