Warren County District Attorney Rob Greene will not seek a fourth term and will instead shift his focus to advocacy on the issue of marijuana.

Greene made the announcement Thursday afternoon.

“Twelve years of working for the government is enough,” he said. “I feel I can better represent the people and make a larger impact on freedom in the private sector.”

Greene was first elected to the top law enforcement role in 2013 and his current term runs through December 2025.

“I am a freedom loving, Second Amendment, small government, Republican district attorney from a rural Pa. county and I have a confession to make,” he said. “I have used cannabis most of my entire life and I recently obtained my Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Card.”

He cautioned that he has not — and would not — drive or “make legal decisions affecting people’s lives when I was incapable of doing so due to cannabis use.”

He said he uses “cannabis responsibly and have not been shy about my advocacy for legalizing marijuana which has been used by humans for over 5,000 years of medicine, religion and recreation.

“Freedom isn’t free and it’s time for me to join the front line.”

Much of Greene’s three-page statement announcing his decision is focused on various aspects of the marijuana issue.

“Marijuana is the most complex plant on our planet and its medical properties have endless potential,” he said, citing impacts with pain, anxiety, seizures, epilepsy, MS, Parkinson’s, glaucoma, dementia, depression and sleep disorders.”

He also cited research that shows a potential impact on cancer cells by cannabis.

Regardless of the potential benefits, marijuana remains categorized as a Schedule I controlled substance at the federal level.

“Most recently,” he explained, “the U.S. Department of Health sent a memo to the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) recommending rescheduling cannabis to Schedule 3, so at least it can be researched and prescribed by a doctor, however, the DEA is adamantly against it.”

Greene additionally raised safety concerns — the chance for marijuana to be laced with fentanyl or other drugs.

“In today’s world, regulation is unorganized and confusing,” he said. “Citizens don’t know what is legal and what is not.”

He said that confusion also extended to law enforcement and prosecutors.

Greene acknowledges that his use puts him in violation of “draconian” federal laws regarding marijuana and claims that some government officials believe that he should lose his right to drive and own a firearm as a result.

“It will be an interesting next couple of years and I am looking for comments, suggestions and a like-minded cannabis company/organization that shares my vision,” Greene said. “Pennsylvania should lead in medical marijuana research and manufacturing and I will be part of that process.”

He affirmed that he will serve through the remainder of his current term.

“I am proud of what I have accomplished in my tenure and service to the people of Warren County as district attorney,” he said, “and I am humbled that I had the opportunity to work with the heroes of Warren County.”