Obama's drug czar confirmed to lead U.S. border enforcement

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Obama's drug czar confirmed to lead U.S. border enforcement
(Image credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

I guess this is a promotion? On Thursday, the Senate confirmed Gil Kerlikowske, the head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy — or "drug czar" — to lead U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Homeland Security Department agency that oversees the Border Patrol. The job has been open since 2011. Kerlikowske is a former police chief of Seattle — which, to be fair, is near a major U.S. border.

If Obama is looking for a new drug czar, maybe he could see if CNN celebrity doctor Sanjay Gupta is interested. Gupta turned Obama down for Surgeon General five years ago, but maybe he'd be more interested in a position where he could influence policy on medical marijuana.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More
Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.