I don’t know him personally, but a young man who is professes to be a Christian has accepted a job with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The question before us is a simple one: Should a Christian work for the DEA?
What, exactly, is the DEA? According to the agency’s website:
The DEA was established in 1973 as the federal organization in charge of enforcing the controlled substances laws of the United States. Today thousands of DEA employees located in hundreds of offices across the country and around the world are dedicated to fulfilling DEA’s mission and to continuing our Tradition of Excellence. We are experts in drug enforcement: Special Agents, Diversion Investigators, Forensic Scientists, Intelligence Research Specialists and highly trained support staff and we work together as one team to keep Americans safe from dangerous drugs and those that traffic in them.
Is this an agency that a Christian should work for?
And just what is the mission of the DEA? It includes:
Regulating the manufacture and distribution of controlled pharmaceuticals (such as scheduled prescription drugs) and listed chemicals through DEA’s Diversion Control Division.
Providing and coordinating for DEA and other enforcement organizations the collection, analysis and dissemination of world class drug-related intelligence through DEA’s Intelligence Division.
Analyzing evidence and providing science-based research that supports drug-related investigations and the U.S. criminal justice system at-large through DEA’s Office of Forensic Sciences. This includes chemical analysis of suspected controlled substances, but also encompasses other areas such as digital evidence analysis, crime scene investigations and the disposal of hazardous chemical waste.
Support for drug demand reduction and prevention programs through educational and other campaigns and initiatives including the Red Ribbon Campaign, National Takeback Days and Operation Engage.
Is this a mission that a Christian should embrace?
The DEA, which is part of the U.S. Justice Department, has “239 Domestic Offices in 23 Divisions throughout the U.S., and 91 Foreign Offices in 68 countries.” It also has an aviation division with about 135 pilots and 100 aircraft. The DEA maintains its own academy on the Marine Corps Base at Quantico, Virginia, along with the FBI Academy. The training is rigorous.
Should a Christian go there for training?
Working for the DEA is one of the worst possible things that a Christian could do. I have written volumes about why Christians should not join the military, including being a chaplain. I have also cautioned Christians about becoming cops. Yet, I would be the first to admit that soldiers and cops have some legitimate functions.
But the DEA should not exist. The agency should immediately be eliminated, all of its assets sold, and all of its employees fired. One hundred percent of what the DEA does is unnecessary, unconstitutional, and pure evil.
The federal government’s war on drugs is a monstrous evil that has ruined more lives than drugs themselves. It is a war on personal freedom, private property, the Constitution, federalism, personal responsibility, individual liberty, personal and financial privacy, civil liberties, the free market, and freedom itself.
The DEA is the main federal agency responsible for the drug war. Because it exists solely for nefarious purposes, it is the number one agency of the federal government that no decent American—and especially Christians—should ever work for. It is even worse than being a TSA, CIA, or FBI agent. DEA agents deserve nothing but scorn and contempt.