President Obama doesn’t want the United States to become a nation of potheads.
Obama said marijuana is subject to “abuse” and a threat to the public health.
“I stand by my belief based on the scientific evidence that marijuana for casual users, individual users, is subject to abuse, just like alcohol is and should be treated as a public health problem and challenge,” Obama told CNN.
But he said that pro-legalization forces should ask themselves “tough questions.”
“Because if we start having a situation where big corporations with lots of resources and distribution and marketing arms are suddenly going out there, peddling marijuana, then the levels of abuse that may take place are going to be higher,” he said.
Obama dodged a question over whether marijuana should be taken off the list of the most severe “Schedule 1” drugs like heroin, saying it was a “job for Congress.”
In fact, it’s his administration’s Drug Enforcement Agency that has the authority to classify drugs.
Obama raised objections to stiff jail time for small-time pot users, pointing to racial disparities in sentencing.
He also said that the feds don’t have the resources to prosecute people “smoking a joint on the corner.” He said the feds also are unlikely to interfere with states like Colorado and Washington that legalized recreational use of marijuana — as long as pot trafficking doesn’t cross borders.
Meanwhile Mayor de Blasio engaged in some radio chat on Hot 97 Friday with a host who joked about wanting to score some weed at the corner shop.
After de Blasio said he’d “end the practice” of people getting arrested for possessing small amounts of pot, co-host Ebro Darden asked: “Will I ever be able to go to the bodega and get me some herb?”
“I don’t think that’s happening anytime soon, but I think we can move on the other fronts. I’m sorry to let you down,” de Blasio replied.
Additional reporting by Yoav Gonen