{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-polis-blumenauer-farr-pocan-call-president-obama-bring-sanity-drug-policy-new", "Cohen, Polis, Blumenauer, Farr & Pocan Call on President Obama to Bring Sanity to Drug Policy with New Drug Czar Nomination", "2013-09-24", "2013", "2013-09", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 Following recent announcements that President Obama\u2019s Administration will respect state marijuana laws and seek smarter sentences when prosecuting low-level drug offenses, U.S. Representatives Steve Cohen (TN-09), Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), Sam Farr (CA-20), Mark Pocan (WI-02), and Jared Polis (CO-02) urged the President to take another step towards common-sense drug policy by nominating a new \u201cDrug Czar\u201d who will bring reason, science, and facts to the soon-to-be-vacant position.\n\u201cWe commend you and your Administration on the recent steps you have taken to pursue smarter sentencing and policies that respect state laws regarding marijuana,\u201d wrote the Congressmen. \u201cWe urge you to nominate a new Director of ONDCP who will develop policies based on science rather than ideology and move away from the failed policy of criminalizing marijuana. The new Director should promote fact-based education and use medical science and behavioral research to end the questionable practice of equating marijuana with dangerous drugs like heroin, crack, and methamphetamine.\u201d\nThe position of Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), commonly referred to as the \u201cDrug Czar,\u201d has historically been filled by individuals with law enforcement backgrounds who have viewed drug policy as a matter of criminal enforcement rather than as a matter of public health\u2014regardless of the medical science and public research available. The current Director, Gil Kerlikowke, was recently nominated to be Director of U.S. Customs and Border Protection by President Obama. If Kerlikowke is confirmed for that position, the ONDCP will need a new Director.\nThe text of Congressmen\u2019s letter to the President follows:\nThe Honorable Barack Obama  \n\tPresident of the United States  \n\tThe White House  \n\t1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW  \n\tWashington, DC 20500\nDear President Obama:\nWe applaud the recent announcements by Attorney General Holder that the Department of Justice (DOJ) will seek smarter sentences when prosecuting low level drug offenses and will respect the laws of those states that have enacted frameworks for taxing and regulating marijuana.\u00a0 With your nomination of Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), to be Director of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, we urge you to continue these promising steps by seizing the opportunity to replace Mr. Kerlikowske with someone whose policies toward marijuana are guided by common sense and science, and consistent with the recently-released DOJ guidance, rather focusing on failed policies of prohibition.\u00a0 The new Director should promote fact-based education and use medical science and behavioral research to end the questionable practice of equating marijuana with dangerous drugs like heroin, crack, and methamphetamine.\nHistorically, the Director of ONDCP has had a law enforcement background and has been referred to by the unfortunate nickname of \u201cDrug Czar.\u201d\u00a0 As this moniker implies, past Directors have viewed drug policy as a matter of criminal enforcement rather than as a matter of public health.\u00a0 We ask that you break from this tradition and nominate someone with a background in science.\u00a0 Particularly in light of the rapidly growing public support for marijuana legalization and broader drug policy reform, it would be a mistake for you to appoint someone who merely continues to prosecute the failed War on Drugs.\nInstead, the new Director of ONDCP should promote scientific research into the benefits and risks of marijuana legalization and be guided by the results of those findings.\u00a0 He or she should take note of the growing movement at the state level to make marijuana legal for medical or personal use and help shape national policies based on the lessons learned in those states.\u00a0 At a minimum the new Director should urge strict adherence to the recent DOJ guidelines regarding criminal enforcement in those states.\nWe also hope that the next Director of ONDCP will build on the important steps that Director Kerlikowske took to recognize the collateral consequences of conviction for a minor drug offense.\u00a0 His replacement should continue to advocate alternatives to incarceration and reducing barriers to reentry for incarcerated individuals.\u00a0 Promoting these policies will not only help keep thousands of Americans on the path to success, it will also save this nation the precious resources it cannot afford to waste on prosecution of minor drug offenses.\nWe commend you and your Administration on the recent steps you have taken to pursue smarter sentencing and policies that respect state laws regarding marijuana.\u00a0 We hope that these measures signal a strong shift toward a more rational drug policy.\u00a0 To further this goal, we urge you to nominate a new Director of ONDCP who will develop policies based on science rather than ideology and move away from the failed policy of criminalizing marijuana.\u00a0 We look forward to working with you as you consider candidates for this important post.\nSincerely,", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-polis-blumenauer-farr-pocan-call-president-obama-bring-sanity-drug-policy-new"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8635809645056725, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}