The former DEA agent turned Cannabis investor.

• Author: Detrick, Paul
• Position: Soundbite - Patrick Moen - Interview

Meet Patrick Moen, the one-time drug warrior who now invests in legalized pot. In February, Reason TV's Paul Detrick spoke with Moen, former supervisory special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), who now works as compliance director and senior counsel at Privateer Holdings, a private equity firm that invests in cannabis.

Q: What did [your coworkers at the DEA] have to say when you packed up your desk with all of your stuff in a brown box and you were walking out the door?

A: I had a lot of guys express the belief that I was a trendsetter or a pioneer, which was a little surprising at the time. I got a lot of support. I got a few guys asking me for jobs.

Q: Since joining Privateer Holdings, your presence has sparked a media frenzy. More journalists are fascinated with this move that you made. Why do you think that people are so interested?

A: We've all heard the term the blue line or the blue wall. A lot of law enforcement are either reluctant or prohibited to speak to the press. A lot of the fascination stems from the ability to maybe get a bit of an inside look at some of these organizations that previously were pretty unknown to the public. We all know that the end of prohibition is coming. I think everyone recognizes that. Taking that first step is often the most difficult one. It just so happened I was the one to take it.

Q: Have you consumed marijuana yourself?

A: I have, but it's been 20 years.

Q: The U.S. has been fighting the drug war for over 40 years now. Do you think the war on drugs will come to an end at some point?

A: I don't know. That's a really complex question obviously. I think that the war on marijuana will come to an end fairly soon. The inevitability has reached everyone at this point.

Q: Why not harder drugs then?

A: Well, my own personal point of view is that drugs like methamphetamine and heroin have legitimate, observable, harmful effects to...