EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY
Washington, D.C. 20503

 

September 21, 2018

The Honorable Michael Bennet
United States Senate

261 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Bennet:

Thank you for your recent letter outlining your concerns with the policy coordination
process involving marijuana at the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).

ONDCP sets policies, priorities, and objectives for the nation's drug control programs and
ensures that adequate resources are provided to implement them. As such, ONDCP has an
obligation to understand the effects drugs have on individuals, public health, and public safety,
from a number of different perspectives.

This is especially relevant now as the nation faces the worst drug crisis in its history.
Allow me to be perfectly clear: reducing the number of Americans dying from overdoses,
principally from opioids, is the President?s top drug priority and it is mine as well. In the current
environment, the Federal Government needs more information about the harms and risks
associated with drug threats to help identify specific objectives for policies, and then to track the
progress of those policies. ONDCP has a history of working with Federal, state, local, and tribal
partners to support data collection efforts on all types of drugs to help assess the impact of
rapidly changing drug markets. Although I did not participate in this meeting, it is my
understanding that this was the intent of the marijuana policy coordination committee, which is
one of hundreds of standing policy coordination committees (PCCS) that serve as the mechanism
for routine interagency processes in every administration. The article you referenced in your
letter implies that PCCs are somehow secret, unusual, or outside the appropriate process for
policy development in the executive branch, so please allow me to clear up any misconceptions
about PCCs.

The work of ONDCP is based on hard data, science, and evidence from experts in the
?eld. The full range of our counternarcotics efforts are based upon data collected by the Federal
Government; the research it performs or supports; studies from academic and health experts; and
what we learn from our law enforcement, healthcare, and public health partners across the
country. I assure you that ONDCP seeks all perspectives, positive or negative, when formulating
Administration policy. You have my full and ?rm commitment that ONDCP will be completely
objective and dispassionate in collecting all relevant facts and peer?reviewed scienti?c research
on all drugs, including marijuana.

A major challenge in assessing threats that drugs pose to the nation is the availability and
adequacy of data to help us gain a clearer understanding of current and emerging trends in drug
availability and use. National population surveys, information from law enforcement reporting,

drug seizure data, drug testing information, treatment admission rates, and other data sets provide
important context on the drug situation and help shine a light on trend lines and identify
emerging threats. However, in and of themselves, they only provide part of the picture.

ONDCP supports advancing research and reducing knowledge gaps on the
consequences of all drug use. This understanding will translate into more effective outreach and
prevention for vulnerable populations, and help reduce use now and in the years to come. For
example, ONDCP undertook an effort to expand forensic analysis of cannabis specimens.
Moreover, ONDCP fully supports research on the impact of products derived from the cannabis
plant, whether potentially therapeutic or harmful, and we work with agencies across the Federal
Government to identify opportunities for reducing barriers and streamlining the research process.

In the case of the cannabis plant, further research will improve our understanding of
the endocannabinoid system and could lead to new medications, approved by the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) to ensure they are safe and effective for patients. In addition to 
THC?based medications already marketed in the United States, the FDA recently approved a
cannabidiol (CBD) oral solution product that is made from a puri?ed cannabis plant extract. The
recent FDA approval of this CBD oral solution product is an example of how the process
for establishing the safety and efficacy of medications for the labeled use can work to bring
cannabis-derived treatments to the patients who need them the most.

Thank you for your strong and tireless commitment to the nation?s efforts to address the
unprecedented drug crisis that is impacting communities all across the nation, and please
consider me a partner in that effort. If you have questions or would like to submit marijuana
studies for ONDCP staff to review, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Respectfully,



Bjnes W. Carroll
Deputy Director