Editing Robert C. Bonner (section)

==DEA service==

On May 11, 1990, President Bush nominated him to be Administrator of the DEA. He was confirmed by the [[United States Senate]] on July 27, 1990, and sworn in as the DEA's fifth Administrator on August 13, 1990. Bonner served as Administrator from August 13, 1990, to October 31, 1993.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/history/deahistory_05.htm|title=Robert C. Bonner: Fifth DEA Administrator, DEA History|publisher=}}</ref> As DEA Administrator, Bonner is credited with implementing the Kingpin Strategy, which allows law enforcement to target and attack key vulnerabilities of major transnational drug trafficking organizations.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/mexico/2010-07-01/new-cocaine-cowboys|title=The New Cocaine Cowboys|date=23 June 2010|last1=Bonner|first1=Robert C.}}</ref> He oversaw DEA's efforts with the Colombian government to destroy the [[Medellin Cartel]], the final blow of which was the killing of [[Pablo Escobar]] by the Colombian National Police in late 1993. While at DEA, he also established the first Division of Intelligence within DEA and pioneered the use of highly effective intelligence gathering and analytical tools.

In 1992, Administrator Bonner issued a ruling that incorporated the FDA's "safe and effective" standard to evaluate marijuana.  After reviewing the record, he found that there were no valid scientific studies that indicated that smoking marijuana was safe and effective for any medical purpose. On that basis, he denied an application for the [[removal of cannabis from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act]], stating that, "Those who insist that marijuana has medical uses would serve society better by promoting or sponsoring more legitimate scientific research, rather than throwing their time, money and rhetoric into lobbying, public relations campaigns and perennial litigation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.maps.org/research-archive/mmj/ricklesh.html|title=NIDA BLOCKS MEDICAL MARIJUANA RESEARCH|website=www.maps.org}}</ref>