U.S. Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske has been appointed to a new position by President Obama, meaning he will soon step down from his current role; Gil was appointed as the Director of the Customs and Border Protection Agency, a section of the Department of Homeland Security.

Kerlikowske’s out. Let the speculation begin on who’s going to replace him.

Given that Kerlikowske isn’t known to have a particularly strong or diverse background in terms of border protection, the move was likely made so that the president can assign a new person as Drug Czar: Who might replace him is anyone’s guess at this point.

Although we remain hopeful that President Obama will appoint someone with the intent of taking a different approach in terms of drug policy, the primary problem still lies in the fact that the U.S. Drug Czar is legally required to oppose the legalization of cannabis, or any other illegal substance, making the position nothing more than a bureaucratic lobbyist for the drug war. The long-term answer is clearly to dissolve the position entirely.

In the meantime, while the president mulls over his decision, we encourage you to contact him – which you can do by clicking here – and urge him to alter the position so that it’s not simply a ruse.

– TheJointBlog