Maria Silveira | My Amplog

But the comments from Kerlikowske, a former cop, reminded me of Clinton drug czar Barry McCaffrey, a former general who likewise preferred medical metaphors but “turned out to be so hardline that he refused to admit there was any evidence of marijuana’s therapeutic value and could not stomach the idea of letting states set their own policies regarding medical use of the plant.” While the Clinton administration’s position on the latter question remains ambiguous, Kelikowske yesterday followed McCaffrey’s example by declaring that “marijuana is dangerous and has no medicinal benefit.”

The first part of that statement is merely misleading: Although no drug is 100 percent safe, the dangers associated with smoking pot (legal risks aside) pale beside the hazards of legal drugs such as alcohol. But the second part of the statement is flat-out false, just as it was when McCaffrey made the same assertion 13 years ago. It betrays either ignorance or dishonestyRead more at reason.com