Elizabeth Warren To Elon Musk: Cut Unnecessary Federal Cannabis Enforcement And Save Billions

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sent a detailed letter to Elon Musk, chair of the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with numerous suggestions for slashing federal spending.

Warren outlined proposals she said could save the federal government upwards of $2 trillion over the next decade. Among her recommendations was scaling back federal enforcement against marijuana users and businesses, which she called an example of “wasteful spending.”

“The United States could save hundreds of millions of dollars annually by cutting unnecessary federal enforcement actions and detention,” Warren wrote in the Thursday letter to the billionaire Tesla TSLA CEO.

Warren criticized federal agencies like the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for continuing to target legal marijuana businesses and seize cannabis plants. “These arrests and seizures unnecessarily drain federal resources,” Warren said.

When the DEA celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2023, it had spent over $1 trillion partly to enforce Richard Nixon’s 1970 Controlled Substances Act, the cornerstone of his War on Drugs.

Warren recommended to Musk that both the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security could also conserve resources by deprioritizing arrests and other actions targeting marijuana possession in jurisdictions where it’s legal under state law.

“For example, almost half of states have legalized recreational marijuana, yet federal arrests for marijuana possession account for roughly a quarter of all drug possession arrests, even though federal sentences for marijuana possession are rare,” Warren wrote, referring to FBI data made public in September 2024.

The senator pointed to reports showing the DEA eradicated over 5.7 million marijuana plants in 2022 and criticized the agency for failing to release updated data on marijuana-related arrests and seizures in 2024. She also highlighted a lawsuit by licensed New Mexico cannabis businesses accusing CBP agents of unconstitutional seizures and detentions.

Last week, Warren expressed “serious concerns” about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s ability to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. She asked for more information on Kennedy’s  stance regarding marijuana legalization and other issues including what she called his “dangerous views on vaccine safety and public health, including your baseless opposition to vaccines.”

On Wednesday, Kennedy will appear before the Senate Finance Committee for the first of two confirmation hearings

Meanwhile, the DEA’s leadership has drawn scrutiny, with acting administrator Derek Maltz linking cannabis to issues like school shootings, an unfounded and most agree ludicrous stance.

In related news, on Saturday the Senate confirmed the nomination of former South Dakota governor Kristi Noem to lead the Dept. of Homeland Security.

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