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I'd like to work for the DEA

C

californialove760

Bluelighter
Joined
Oct 15, 2009
Messages
158
Location
San Diego County 760
Now, before I get a bunch of replies on how I should die a slow painful death for wanting to fuck up the lives of people, please hear me out.

I am very much against the drug laws and prohibitions that we have in this country (United States), and believe they need to be changed. But I think that short of a full out revolution that destabilizes our entire country, nothing drastic is going to happen concerning these laws. Even the cultural pro drug revolutions of the 60's did nothing to stop the government from banning all of them, and creating the stigmas against them. That's why I believe that for anything to get fixed, it has to be an "inside job"; the system needs to be worked from within for anything to be achieved. Martin Luther King Jr. knew it, and with his peaceful protests and other things he did got the change to come from within the government. This way of working the system is also currently being in California with Proposition 19 being voted on this November.

I think that getting into the DEA and working the system by making it to one of the higher level jobs of it is one of the few ways that can make a difference in changing the laws and ending the War on Drugs. So my questions are these: What education and career choices would I have to make to make it into a job in the DEA with power? Would I have to be a DEA agent enforcing the laws first, and then work my way up, or could I go directly into a high ranking position?

I'm currently a Freshman at the local community college and plan to transfer in hopefully 2 years, and am planning on majoring in the field of psychology/psychiatry.

Any answers or comments are welcome
 
more power to you;
Thats a noble career move if its not something you really 'want' to do. What I mean is that working for the DEA might not be the easiest thing in the world so if you are doing it simply to try and make a difference drug law wise then I hope it is also something you will be enjoying.
 
honestly the best way to a powerful goverment position os the military. Veterans get preferantial treatment in all goverment agencys.
 
In all honesty, if you're that passionate about changing drug law, I'd say try going into politics. Joining the DEA to change drug policy would be like joining the Army to promote world peace. The "machine" is huge, powerful, and unchangeable from the inside. Just like the military, you'll have to start at the bottom and take orders from your superiors regardless of your personal beliefs. It will take years and years of taking orders and putting drug users away before you find yourself in a position of any authority, and then guess what? You'll still be taking orders. Shit rolls downhill, man. No matter how much authority you have, you're always taking orders from someone higher up...no room for creativity.

Like I said, if you want to change drug policy that's great. Become a policy-maker. Go to law school, become a lawyer for a while, then go into politics. If the "machine" is gonna be changed it's gonna be from the outside because the politicans are the ones who are more or less giving the orders to the DEA that roll all the way down to the agent on the street.
 
It will take years and years of taking orders and putting drug users away before you find yourself in a position of any authority, and then guess what? You'll still be taking orders. Shit rolls downhill, man. No matter how much authority you have, you're always taking orders from someone higher up...no room for creativity.

Like I said, if you want to change drug policy that's great. Become a policy-maker. Go to law school, become a lawyer for a while, then go into politics. If the "machine" is gonna be changed it's gonna be from the outside because the politicans are the ones who are more or less giving the orders to the DEA that roll all the way down to the agent on the street.
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My thoughts exactly. I mean, being a soldier in the drug war because you want to end the drug war doesn't make a whole lot of sense. The minute they catch wind of you sabotaging anything they'll cut your uterus out.

Be a lawyer or a psychologist or a politician if you want to work on policy. The DEA is pretty much a goon squad with only the very top levels deciding what to enforce.
 
Mehm said:
My thoughts exactly. I mean, being a soldier in the drug war because you want to end the drug war doesn't make a whole lot of sense. The minute they catch wind of you sabotaging anything they'll cut your uterus out.

Be a lawyer or a psychologist or a politician if you want to work on policy. The DEA is pretty much a goon squad with only the very top levels deciding what to enforce.
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That's what I was thinking about, I don't want to be a DEA agent busting people, I don't think I could bring myself to do it. I would for sure get fired or possibly even face legal problems for "messing up" on busts and let people get away.
And yes, psychology is the field I'm going in to because I think there's the most chances in being able to help the cause there, is the subject is very interesting to me. Politics was a close second for me, as I find it pretty fascinating as well, but I chose psychology over it because of all the dirt of the politicians' youth that gets dug up once they're in the limelight, and I don't know if my political career could survive that haha. Plus my religious views (agnostic leaning towards atheist) pretty much guarantees I probably wouldn't go far.

Anyways, so working from within the DEA is out of the question? The only changes I could make would be from high ranking in it, is there anyway to accelerate myself to those positions without having to be a grunt first? Would it even be worth it?
 
would you really want to be apart of ruining thousands of lives just so you could maybe make a difference? Have you actually thought about this long and hard?

I mean, think about this. You are a DEA agent now. You passed DEA school and your not busting 'criminals'. You are busting into a house and you find a 19yo student and an ounce of opiates. Because of the state your in, this means that this 'punk ass' is going to jail for 25 years... THANKS TO YOU AND YOUR NOW DEA PALS! He'll get out when hes 44 years old, his whole life gone, assuming he hasnt been killed or killed himself in prison. No family left, or barely any, no friends, no job. His life has literally rotted away.

And the best part? YOU GET TO DO THIS EVERY DAY!

Like Jerry said.. you'd be better off going into politics, or even better, starting some sort of organization or company that would help legalize drugs.
 
I know people in federal law enforcement. I asked them for characterizations of the various agencies and their personnel. DEA has been characterized to me as being as a very paranoid and insular culture. To some extent all law enforcement organizations are insular and tribal. DEA is said to be in a constant state of distrust towards other LE and their own members. Scrutiny, constant scrutiny, all the time- eventually you'll get used to it and most likely end up scrutinizing others.

But you get a badge, a salary, armaments, and get to have people cower before you and you will be able to beat down the folks who don't. Just be aware that career building in a paranoid, untrusting environment will likely be a tight rope walk over over sess pools with crocodiles on patrol. If I was in anyway considering joining up with any LE organization DEA would absolutely be my last choice.
 
My parents met in the DEA. Both had degrees from major public Universities.
They only worked there a few years, and I believe in the little-known capacity of pharmaceutical regulation. Not everyone in the DEA is working to bust the big cartels.

Of all the Federal agencies though, DEA (along with CIA) has to be the most radical and independent.
They still finance revolutions and covert activities worldwide, and I can't imagine anything more than a handful of secretaries have anything but draconian views on drug use/laws.

Also, to my knowledge it is very hard to get an entry-level position with any Federal law agency.
Virtually all of them will require years of police or military experience.
When I was looking into careers when in University, I found only the US Marshals would hire inexperienced persons - and only through their own in-house college Intern program. Even the IRS wanted experienced accountants or investigators.

p.s. 7-6-0 holla, that's my old locale :)
which reminds me ... my best buddy's bro was always a straight-edge hardcore type. He got great marks @ SDSU and intended to be an FBI agent. (only got rejected from military due to pre-existing hernia).
Last I heard he was still working the same high-school job at the ice-cream shop. Good luck finding a job in SD with just a 4-year degree.
 
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moonyham said:
would you really want to be apart of ruining thousands of lives just so you could maybe make a difference? Have you actually thought about this long and hard?
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I'm in the thinking process right now, hence my question. I'm actually on the psychology path right now, but I thought I'd figure it out now if being in the DEA would help so I could make the switch early.

moonyham said:
I mean, think about this. You are a DEA agent now. You passed DEA school and your not busting 'criminals'. You are busting into a house and you find a 19yo student and an ounce of opiates. Because of the state your in, this means that this 'punk ass' is going to jail for 25 years... THANKS TO YOU AND YOUR NOW DEA PALS! He'll get out when hes 44 years old, his whole life gone, assuming he hasnt been killed or killed himself in prison. No family left, or barely any, no friends, no job. His life has literally rotted away.

And the best part? YOU GET TO DO THIS EVERY DAY!
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Exactly why I would NOT want to be a low level DEA agent. I've mentioned that several times already, I'm pretty sure...
I couldn't bring myself to do that, cuz I know I'm putting someone away who could have been me.


moonyham said:
Like Jerry said.. you'd be better off going into politics, or even better, starting some sort of organization or company that would help legalize drugs.
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Yeah I guess I'm find that out, psychology is my strong point so I guess I'll try to join MAPS, and maybe try to get involved in some politics too.




SilverFeniks said:
My parents met in the DEA. Both had degrees from major public Universities.
They only worked there a few years, and I believe in the little-known capacity of pharmaceutical regulation. Not everyone in the DEA is working to bust the big cartels.
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What were their degrees in?

SilverFeniks said:
Also, to my knowledge it is very hard to get an entry-level position with any Federal law agency.
Virtually all of them will require years of police or military experience.
When I was looking into careers when in University, I found only the US Marshals would hire inexperienced persons - and only through their own in-house college Intern program. Even the IRS wanted experienced accountants or investigators.
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interesting.. I guess it's outta the question then unless I join the military first

SilverFeniks said:
p.s. 7-6-0 holla, that's my old locale :)
which reminds me ... my best buddy's bro was always a straight-edge hardcore type. He got great marks @ SDSU and intended to be an FBI agent. (only got rejected from military due to pre-existing hernia).
Last I heard he was still working the same high-school job at the ice-cream shop. Good luck finding a job in SD with just a 4-year degree.
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760 represent!
Yeah I know, I'm definitely planning on getting my masters and probably even doctorate.. Can't get a lot of work in the psychology field without those
 
You don't change the system. The system changes you. Trust me.. I've seen it happen. Not with the DEA specifically, but I've seen it happen.

You know what DARE teaches about peer pressure? It can work in the opposite way too. You could easily start to doubt your convictions once you begin to work for the DEA. Peer pressure is extremely powerful.

I think it would probably be more effective to work outside of it.
 
I agree with the people that say joining the DEA to change drug laws is like joing the army to stop wars...this being said I know a guy who went to high school with a guy that works in the DEA's Houston office doing electronic surveillance or whatever,and I actually met this DEA dude one day while high as hell on some weed..Buzzkill!!! lol,anyway he did say that a lot of the guys in Houston DEA office,lower level dudes,not bosses, think that marijuana should be legal so that they could focus on cocaine,meth,and heroin...while I think that marijuana should be legal,I think that the DEA will still abuse peoples freedom to ingest anything in the privacy of there own homes,and the don't just bust cartel people,many low level coke,meth,and heroin users who sold to friends to support there own habits have been drugs away in cuffs at 6 AM by DEA agents who trashed their houses searching for the "dope" these otherwise law abiding people sold to other adults that they knew and were drug abusers also,not seeling to kids,and god help them if the had some crack cocaine instaed of powder...so many people were put in the pen for madatory minimums for having 5 grams or more of crack,meanwhile they would have to have 500 grams of powder cocaine to get the mandatory sentence that 5 grams of crack gave them,Who in the hell thought up giving someone with 5 grams of crack the smae manadatory prison time as someone with half a kilo of blow aka 500 grams...you could make a hella lot of crack out of 500 grams of powder,5 grams of crack is 5 grams of crack,it cannot make a bunch more crack from the 5 grams,while you can make more than 500 grams of crack from 500 grams of powder,,fuck even 10 grams of powder will make more crack than the 5 grams that they send you off to prison for...What Crazy in the head on acid politicain thought up this idea,and why did they not change the penaltys for powder,Do those Idiots in DC not know that crack is made with powder cocaine and baking soda??!! Or maybe it's that the goverment does not give a damn about people but instead like the high arrest numbers to make the general non drug user voter out in Backwoods,Mississippi think that the government is actually stopping drugs?!! What a bunch of lies and political bullshit that has cost the people who used crack or sold it to feed themselves or there kids,because MCDonalds paid shitty wages , these people are now in prison or have been in prison for having 5 or 10 grams of crack,while Mr.Banker,business man with a couple ounces or more of blow,sits free to make big money and go home and snort blow all night with his lawyer and doctor friends....DEA is EVIL as a whole,it does not want drug use or abuse to stop or they would all be out of a job,as would a lot of prosecutors,police,and judges,and jail guards and construction companys that build prisons...The DEA has been around since about 1972 when Nixon Created it and the price,purity and availablity of all drugs is higher than ever as is the DEA's multi -billion + budget...Just think about it...
 
marsmellow said:
You don't change the system. The system changes you.
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That is goofy, just about everything in life has some sort of dualist/ push-pull aspect to it. Here in reality, our actions are intertwining with each others and every vibration of the past transcending in action in the present.

As part of a system made of random ass businessmen and politicians, you are part of the system. You change the system to a realistic extent at this point, and realistically, your behavior can change too, depending on your will, personality type, and belief systems.

Go for it, but this sounds like it would need a hell of a lot of patience to do what you want, though.
 
You change the system through revolutionary (this DOESN'T mean on the streets smashing things up!) rather than through reformist means.

Reformism very rarely works, although you will often get small gains from such a method.
 
Ok so the general consensus seems to be joining the DEA in hopes for change is equivalent of the joining the army for peace idea.
So the question now is, I guess, what is the better path to follow in order to get to a position to make change? My options I think are currently psychology or politics (unless someone can give me another good option that's realistic for me).
Politics seems like it's the better option at least hypothetically, because if I could make it to high authority levels it'd be easier to make changes. In the field of psychology, I would likely only be doing studies and research on drugs to try to gain their acceptance that way.

However, realistically, the chances of becoming a high ranking politician are probably pretty low. Getting to a point where I can actually help seems to be more likely with psychology, but once I get there the help I can give is much less. So what, in you Bluelighter's opinions, would be the best way to go? (Mods if this requires a title change of the thread please do so, I just didn't wanna start a new thread for this)
 
The problem with working for the DEA is they'll only consider you if you "youthfully experimented with marijuana" and haven't used it in 10 years.

Any other drug and you're not considered. There's a little "Am I eligible to work for the DEA" yes/no quiz on their site.


99.99999% of BLers can't work for the DEA, and I'm sure they administer a polygraph. Not that those are conclusive but remember they can not hire you for any reason and a spike on a graph in a question you truthfully answered can be a reason.
 
Yup, was just gonna say that. If you've ever used drugs with any regularity and anything besides weed, you're immediately off the list.

I'd get involved in politics and activism as much as possible and get whichever degree you think suits you best. I got my degree in biochem and am working in computer software, but I'm still politically active in lots of different areas, many of which are entirely unrelated. I suggest getting involved in lots of charity work too - it will help you meet lots of people that you should know, and that includes the people you're helping and the people doing the helping.
 
californialove760 said:
Ok so the general consensus seems to be joining the DEA in hopes for change is equivalent of the joining the army for peace idea.
So the question now is, I guess, what is the better path to follow in order to get to a position to make change? My options I think are currently psychology or politics (unless someone can give me another good option that's realistic for me).
Politics seems like it's the better option at least hypothetically, because if I could make it to high authority levels it'd be easier to make changes. In the field of psychology, I would likely only be doing studies and research on drugs to try to gain their acceptance that way.

However, realistically, the chances of becoming a high ranking politician are probably pretty low. Getting to a point where I can actually help seems to be more likely with psychology, but once I get there the help I can give is much less. So what, in you Bluelighter's opinions, would be the best way to go? (Mods if this requires a title change of the thread please do so, I just didn't wanna start a new thread for this)
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Psychology normally deals with individuals; you may want to look into sociology which deals more with groups. The goal would be the same: empirical research that gets published. A lot of lawmakers look at this research when doing whatever it is that they do.

Also you could go into law. You may not be able to make drastic, widespread changes but you could still help out the little guy.
 
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