On the recordFebruary 6, 2014
Wednesday, in a congressional hearing, under oath, Michael Botticelli, the Deputy Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, could not answer my direct questions: What is more dangerous, methamphetamine or marijuana? How many people died from marijuana last year? He complained that people think marijuana is benign. Well, I don't think marijuana is benign, but I can understand how people can get confused when so-called ``experts'' cannot give straight answers. Federal law says that marijuana is more dangerous than cocaine and methamphetamine, which everybody knows is a lie. Unlike marijuana, tobacco use is falling. Unlike marijuana, we don't arrest millions of people for using tobacco. Tobacco use has been cut almost two-thirds because we have been honest about the facts. Maybe there's a lesson for our drug policy officials: if you want to discourage marijuana use, be honest and be direct. ____________________
Source
govinfo.gov
