On the eve of 4/20, cannabis smokers' unofficial holiday, Barack Obama has appeared on CNN's special report WEED 3 backing decriminalisation of marijuana, saying that he favours a "public health model" over an "incarceration model".
The president stopped short of endorsing the legalisation of the drug, but did signal support for the medical marijuana bill backed by Rand Paul.
Interviewed by CNN's chief medical correspondent and vocal legalisation advocate Dr Sanjay Gupta, Obama said: "You know, I think I’d have to take a look at the details.
"I’m on record as saying that not only do I think carefully prescribed medical use of marijuana may in fact be appropriate and we should follow the science as opposed to ideology on this issue, but I’m also on record as saying that the more we treat some of these issues related to drug abuse from a public health model and not just from an incarceration model, the better off we’re going to be."
Many journalists have tried to get Obama to talk openly about marijuana and this is about his most positive statement yet, having previously admitting to smoking it in his youth and saying that he views it as no "more dangerous than alcohol".
Source: Belfast Telegraph, 20/04/15
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