Former stoner extraordinaire Barack Obama has stepped up to the plate in the final weeks of his presidency on the issue of marijuana legalization. Apparently Barack agrees that marijuana should not be treated like a criminal substance. Instead, addiction should be seen as a public health issue, like dependence on tobacco or alcohol. In his Rolling Stone cover story, Obama admitted that he wouldn't be accomplishing much from a legislative perspective, but that he'd certainly do his best as a private citizen to direct the conversation. Here's what Obama had to say:
"Look, I’ve been very clear about my belief that we should try to discourage substance abuse. And I am not somebody who believes that legalization is a panacea. But I do believe that treating this as a public-health issue, the same way we do with cigarettes or alcohol, is the much smarter way to deal with it. Typically how these classifications are changed are not done by presidential edict but are done either legislatively or through the DEA. As you might imagine, the DEA, whose job it is historically to enforce drug laws, is not always going to be on the cutting edge about these issues."
Do you think Obama's words will have an impact on America's war on drugs?