Will He Outlaw Marijuana? –

Dec. 18, 2020 – He would also help to coordinate domestic and international policing efforts, a role that requires collaboration with the Drug Enforcement Administration, military, postal service, and federal law enforcement. Though the position has received little attention during the Trump administration, whoever holds it is nominally the country’s highest-ranking drug policy official.

“I have no shame in saying it: I believe I could do better than anyone else,” Kennedy said in an interview with STAT. “I see this as a historic turning point for mental health and addiction. The headlines may be about a respiratory illness, but I think the legacy of this thing is going to be the brain illnesses that it causes through the trauma of dislocation, stress, uncertainty, and the self-medication that comes with all of that.” Kennedy added that he’s drawn to the role because of the authority he’d wield in forcing federal agencies, including health care agencies as well as the housing and labor departments, to work together with addiction priorities in mind.

more@StatNews