She was the current deputy administrator and a former Bush appointee and when President Obama could find anyone to replace her, he promoted her to Chief Deputy Director.
Professional speaking she is a outstanding officer, Jim Braseth, a legendary DEA chief in the Twin Cities said, “If you could look in the dictionary for the definition of a federal drug agent, you’d find Michele’s picture.” She worked her way through the ranks as a field agent and then into the management side of the agency. She had stints in across the county and most recently in California. Where her time in Los Angeles coincided with the beginning of the federal war against California's medical marijuana law, and as acting administrator, she blocked researchers from being able to grow their own marijuana for medical research, effectively blocking the research.
As head of the DEA last year, Leonhart spent more than $123,000 of taxpayer money to charter a private plane for a trip to Colombia, rather than using one of the 106 they already own. That's right the DEA owns 106 airplanes.
"It's disappointing that we didn't see anyone other than a career narcotics officer and DEA employee get the nomination," said Allen St. Pierre NORML Executive Director "But considering that his choice is a groundbreaking at DEA, perhaps there is a certain degree of political correctness for Obama. Leonhart is acceptable to conservatives because she comes from the DEA ranks, and at the same time, as a black woman who has risen from street officer to head of the DEA, she is certainly heralded by many in the Congressional Black Caucus."
Allen St. Pierre also noted that "Since last May's executive order on preemption and the October Justice Department memo on medical marijuana, it doesn't look like the DEA has really interfered very much with these dispensaries, especially in places like Montana and Colorado, where there were none and now there are hundreds," he said. "It looks like Leonhart has abated a bit compared to the marching orders she was under when she was first named acting administrator."
"It's possible she will change her tune on getting orders from above," said Dale Gieringer, head of California NORML. "I don't know to what extent she was taking orders from above on indefensible things like deciding to disallow the research at UMass.
"We've been waiting for change ever since Obama got elected, we're still sitting here with the same Bush-appointed US Attorneys, we were hoping at least he would appoint a new DEA administrator, but no. That really shows political cowardice at the top level, I think." Gieringer said
Mile High NORML feels that the promotion of Ms. Leonhart is a slap in the face to all cannabis consumers. There were several other qualified candidates, whose way of thinking is that of a new president and his administration not of the old.
