Drug Czar says Medical Mj

[Spliff Twister]

Mar. 4, 00
Associated Press
Copyright © 2000
SIMI VALLEY, Calif
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White House drug czar Barry McCaffrey spoke harshly against the use of marijuana as medicine, calling much of it "a crock" and saying more research is needed. "Ask a doctor if he really wants a big blunt stuck in a patient's face as treatment," McCaffrey said Friday, the final day of a national conference on addiction at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. "A lot of this is a crock."
Some 20 medical marijuana supporters protested outside the library, carrying signs, banners and a pot plant.
Marijuana is banned by the federal government, although voters in six states - Alaska, Arizona, California, Maine, Oregon and Washington - have approved laws allowing the drug to be used for medical purposes.
McCaffrey - a longtime opponent of medical marijuana use and other forms of drug legalization - said the federal government is spending increasing sums to fight substance abuse, and suggested state and local governments need to do more to ensure the money is well-spent.