President Donald Trump’s nominee for White House drug czar told senators on Wednesday that the administration is keeping “all options” on the table as it continues to consider a pending marijuana rescheduling proposal, while describing cannabis reform as a “bipartisan issue.”
During a confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sara Carter (who also uses the name Sara Bailey) was pressed on cannabis rescheduling by Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), who asked how she would advise the president as he considers moving cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).
Booker noted that Carter discussed her support for medical marijuana access in 2023, adding that Congress has had “bipartisan hearings here with military personnel talking about the transformative impact it’s had” in treating symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
While the senator supports ending federal cannabis prohibition altogether, he said the rescheduling proposal that was initiated under former President Joe Biden and which Trump said last month he’d be making a final decision on imminently would be a “step in the right direction.”
“That would finally at least recognize that [cannabis has] medical benefits, but it would allow scientists to study the short- and long-term health impacts,” he said. “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?”
Watch the discussion on marijuana, starting around 2:37:50 into the video below:
Carter, who was nominated by Trump to serve as director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), 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.”
Trump endorsed rescheduling—as well as marijuana industry banking access and a Florida legalization ballot initiative–on the campaign trail ahead of his second term. But his most recent comments about the timeline for a rescheduling decision gave a more ambiguous impression of his position on the issue.
At Wednesday’s hearing, Carter also noted that she’s already met with U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins, and the administration is aligned on the need for “continued research and data that we will be delivering, and based on that research and data we can continue to assess. I think that is vitally important.”
Booker brought up the fact that federal law currently prevents ONDCP from promoting the legalization of Schedule I drugs like cannabis, which he said makes researching the substance “really difficult.”
“So I’m hoping, as we work together across the aisle on legislation that would simply allow the ONDCP to study the impacts, that this might be something that you would support,” he said.
“Absolutely I can,” Carter said. “We will continue to study the impacts of that.”
The nominee has previously called medical marijuana a “fantastic” treatment option for seriously ill patients and said she doesn’t have a “problem” with legalization, even if she might not personally agree with the policy.
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 last year in an 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.”
If Carter is ultimately confirmed by the Senate, she will become the second 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.
As Booker referenced during Wednesday’s hearing, 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.”
In April, however, Democratic congressional lawmakers announced the filing of a bill that would remove that restriction. It has not yet advanced in the GOP-controlled Congress.
Photo courtesy of Brian Shamblen.
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