“I believe that medical questions are best decided not by popular vote, but by science. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which studies and approves all medicines in the United States, has made very clear that the raw marijuana plant is not medicine, and any state considering medical marijuana should look very carefully at what has happened in California.”

ONDCP Press Statement – October 2009

Look at problems in California, drug czar warns states pondering medical marijuana

“Gil Kerlikowske, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, specifically cited problems regulating the clinics in the Los Angeles area that dispense medical marijuana. Kerlikowske recounted going to Venice Beach and seeing people holding signs advertising marijuana and ads in newspapers. He also pointed to reports of robberies and assaults that have occurred in and around medical marijuana dispensaries in the Los Angeles area.”

Quad-City Times – Nov. 3, 2009

Drug Czar: Marijuana Clinics Difficult To Regulate

“A number of communities, particularly in the Los Angeles area, are having a great deal of difficulty regulating the clinics,” said R. Gil Kerlikowske, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. “It’s very clear that the raw marijuana plant is not medicine. We don’t vote on medicines. Whether a medicine is effective or not should be answered by medical science and not a vote. And so I leave it at that,” he told reporters.

The DesMoines Register – Nov. 3, 2009

Marijuana is Dangerous

“Marijuana is dangerous and has no medicinal benefit,” said in downtown Fresno while discussing Operation SOS — Save Our Sierra — a multiagency effort to eradicate marijuana in eastern Fresno County.

The Fresno Bee – July 23, 2009

On Kerlikowske

“Gil Kerlikowske has the expertise, the experience, and the sound judgment to lead our national efforts against drug trafficking and use, and he will make an excellent addition to my Administration.”

President Barack Obama – March 11, 2009

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