Chad Chronister, the Florida county sheriff chosen by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, abruptly withdrew his nomination for the post Tuesday.
Trump nominated Chronister, the sheriff of Hillsborough County, for the DEA post on Saturday.
It was not immediately clear whom Trump’s next nominee might be.
Second Trump nominee to back out
Chronister’s sudden exit, announced on social media, is the latest sudden reversal for incoming Trump administration officials responsible for drug policy reform issues, including marijuana rescheduling.
Former Florida U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, Trump’s first choice for attorney general, withdrew his name from consideration amid a federal sex trafficking investigation.
Trump then nominated former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to serve as the U.S. attorney general.
Some marijuana industry interests had initially welcomed the selection of Gaetz, who’d been a reliable supporter of marijuana legalization while in Congress.
Bondi’s record, which includes signing off on a report tying marijuana use to opiate overdoses, is far less friendly.
‘Gravity’ of DEA job too much?
Though Chronister is far less controversial than Gaetz, his nomination raised eyebrows.
Cannabis interests reacted with positive interest in Chronister, who in 2020 supported marijuana decriminalization.
But career drug agents questioned whether Chronister would be up for the job.
Chronister seemed to hint in an Instagram post Tuesday that the job might be too big.
“Over the past several days, as the gravity of this very important responsibility set in, I’ve concluded that I must respectfully withdraw from consideration,” he wrote.
Role in marijuana rescheduling
While the next DEA administrator will play a role in the ongoing marijuana rescheduling process, the agency’s chief task is wrestling with the fentanyl crisis.
Rescheduling advocates – and opponents – made a brief initial appearance Monday before the DEA’s top administrative law judge, who indicated that the hearings concerning the Biden administration’s proposal to move marijuana from Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act to Schedule 3 will begin in mid-January.
That suggests Bondi – if she is confirmed by the U.S. Senate – and whomever ends up leading the DEA will potentially sign off on what would be a revolutionary shift in federal marijuana policy.
