kirlikowske

Last month, Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske came under fire for his statement, reported in the Fresno Bee, that marijuana “has no medicinal value.” Giving him the chance to clear up any confusion on the matter, KOMO TV aired a follow-up interview today with Kerlikowske. The Drug Czar had this to say:

Sometimes you make a mistake and you work very hard to correct it. That happens. I should’ve clearly said ’smoked’ marijuana and then gone on to say that this is clearly a question that should be answered by the medical community.

Kerlikowske also said:

[T]he FDA has not determined that smoked marijuana has a (medical) value…

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Jacob Sullum

A few weeks ago, drug czar Gil Kerlikowske falsely asserted that marijuana "has no medicinal benefit." As I said at the time, one can argue that smoking (or vaporizing) a plant is not an appropriate way to take medicine, that better alternatives are available, or that no one should use any medicine that has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. But it is beyond serious dispute that THC, and therefore cannabis, is effective at relieving nausea, restoring appetite, and reducing pain. Instead of revising Kerlikowske's blatantly inaccurate claim, the Marijuana Policy Project notes, the Office of National Drug Control Policy is insisting he was right, citing a 2006 press release in which the FDA addressed "claims that smoked marijuana is a medicine." Unsurprisingly, the FDA rejected the consumption of raw plant matter in favor of FDA-approved drugs. But as the ONDCP acknowledges, these drugs already include a synthetic THC capsule (Marinol) and may soon include a cannabis extract sprayed beneath the tongue (Sativex). In other words, the FDA's own regulatory judgments show Kerlikowske is lying when he says marijuana "has no medicinal benefit." Read more »

By. Pete Guither

I love this drug czar!
I am becoming a huge fan of Gus Kerlikowske.

But, you say, how can that be? Kerlikowske opposes marijuana legalization.

Of course he does. He's the drug czar and required to by law.

It's the way he does it -- so deliciously ridiculous.

"Legalization is not in the president's vocabulary, and it's not in mine," he said. [...]

"Marijuana is dangerous and has no medicinal benefit," Kerlikowske said in downtown Fresno ...

This is pure gold. He said this in California! "Marijuana has no medicinal benefit." In California where everybody knows somebody who is benefitting medicinally from marijuana. Read more »

The irony is truly remarkable. Kerlikowske claims legalization isn't in his vocabulary, yet the whole purpose of the press conference is to present a report that discusses legalization at great length. The drug czar's strategy of trying not to legitimize our position is completely at odds with the approach of the UN, thus he ultimately just comes across as unprepared. And that's exactly what he is. He's so unprepared to defend the drug war, he must pretend that legalization doesn't exist. It isn't going to work.

Click here to help our friends at LEAP send a message to the UN that it's time to move beyond the war on drugs.