I really like Director Kerlikowske. He has
recognized people in recovery as part of the National Drug Control Strategy and
I think he has been an effective and honestly outspoken leader regarding his
opposition to the legalization of marijuana.
In his official response to various petitions, he has
had no choice but to give a fragmented response from the Obama
Administration, because our President cannot or will not speak to the
American people as a leader on this issue, an issue he wanted to highlight
during his presidency. By now, the President knows that a good
politician always waits for his entry point on a widely important issue.
I'm afraid the President has missed that entry point.
Sadly, Director Kerlikowske only has casual comments the
President made to Barbara Walters to refer to as a response, which is not an
official response. I feel for our Drug Czar. He is trying so hard
to do the right thing for America.
Bellow is Director Kerlikowske's official response to
White House petitioners:
"Thank you for participating in We the People and
speaking out on the legalization of marijuana. Coming out of the recent
election, it is clear that we're in the midst of a serious national
conversation about marijuana.
At President Obama's request, the Justice Department is
reviewing the legalization initiatives passed in Colorado and Washington, given
differences between state and federal law. In the meantime, please see a recent
interview with Barbara Walters in which President Obama addressed the
legalization of marijuana.
Barbara Walters:
Do you think that marijuana should be legalized?
President Obama:
Well, I wouldn't go that far. But what I think is
that, at this point, Washington and Colorado, you've seen the voters speak on
this issue. And as it is, the federal government has a lot to do when it
comes to criminal prosecutions. It does not make sense from a prioritization
point of view for us to focus on recreational drug users in a state that has
already said that under state law that's legal.
…this is a tough problem because Congress has not yet
changed the law. I head up the executive branch; we're supposed to be
carrying out laws. And so what we're going to need to have is a
conversation about how do you reconcile a federal law that still says marijuana
is a federal offense and state laws that say that it's legal.
When you're talking about drug kingpins, folks involved
with violence, people are who are peddling hard drugs to our kids in our
neighborhoods that are devastated, there is no doubt that we need to go after
those folks hard… it makes sense for us to look at how we can make sure that
our kids are discouraged from using drugs and engaging in substance abuse
generally. There is more work we can do on the public health side and the
treatment side.
Gil Kerlikowske is Director of the Office of National
Drug Control Policy
