Editing Drug Enforcement Administration (section)

===Special agents===
[[File:Miguelrodriguez-extradition.png|thumb|DEA agents escort Colombian [[drug lord]] [[Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela]] after his extradition to the United States in 2005.]]

As of 2017, there were 4,650 special agents employed by the Drug Enforcement Administration. DEA agents' starting salary is $49,746–$55,483. After four years, the salary rises to above $92,592. This figure doesn’t include Cost of living allowance (COLA) or LEAP which rated at 25% of base pay including COLA. Special Agents at the 13 step 5 level in high cost of living areas of the United States make near the federal pay cap of $191,000.<ref>{{cite web|title=Top Careers for Students of Criminology and Criminal Justice|url=http://online.ccj.pdx.edu/resources/infographics/top-careers-for-students-of-criminology-and-criminal-justice-ig/|website=Portland State University|access-date=30 September 2014|archive-date=October 19, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141019192344/http://online.ccj.pdx.edu/resources/infographics/top-careers-for-students-of-criminology-and-criminal-justice-ig/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

After receiving a conditional offer of employment, recruits must then complete an 18-week rigorous training which includes lessons in firearms proficiency (including basic marksmanship), weapons safety, tactical shooting, and deadly-force decision training. To graduate, students must maintain an academic average of 80 percent on academic examinations, pass the firearms qualification test, successfully demonstrate leadership and sound decision-making in practical scenarios, and pass rigorous physical-task tests. Upon graduation, recruits earn the title of DEA Special Agent.

Because the DEA is responsible for enforcing the [[Controlled Substances Act]], it excludes from consideration job applicants who use or have a recent history of using [[narcotics]] or illicit drugs. As of June 27, 2024, DEA applicants cannot have used cannabis or marijuana within three years of submitting their application and cannot have used any other narcotic substance within seven years of applying, although allowances are made for the use of marijuana prior to an applicant's 18th birthday.<ref>{{cite web |title=DEA Employment Eligibility |url=https://www.dea.gov/how-to-apply/employment-eligibility |website=dea.gov |publisher=United States Drug Enforcement Administration |access-date=7 January 2025}}</ref> Background investigations usually include a polygraph test for special-agent, diversion-investigator, and intelligence research specialist positions.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025|reason=This claim needs a reliable source; the DEA website does not mention any specific investigative techniques.}}
<!--{{blockquote|text=Applicants who are found, through investigation or personal admission, to have experimented with or used narcotics or dangerous drugs, except those medically prescribed, will not be considered for employment with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Exceptions to this policy may be made for applicants who admit to limited youthful and experimental use of [[cannabis (drug)|marijuana]]. Such applicants may be considered for employment if there is no evidence of regular, confirmed usage and the full-field background investigation and results of the other steps in the process are otherwise favorable.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/job/agent/bef_drugQuest.html|publisher=U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration|title=Drug Questionnaire|access-date=April 28, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070513034556/http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/job/agent/bef_drugQuest.html|archive-date=May 13, 2007|df=mdy-all}}</ref>}}-->

The DEA's relatively firm stance on personal drug use contrasts with those of the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] and the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]], which in 2023 considered further relaxing their eligibility guidelines so as to combat dwindling recruitment rates.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Londoño |first1=Ernesto |title=Needing Younger Workers, Federal Officials Relax Rules on Past Drug Use |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/30/us/marijuana-drugs-federal-jobs.html |website=[[The New York Times]] |date=April 30, 2023 |access-date=7 January 2025}}</ref>