U.S President Barack Obama said that marijuana use is safer than alcohol consumption "in terms of its impact on the individual consumer." His statement could have undermined national drug laws.
While marijuana continues to be illegal under U.S federal law, Obama is encouraging the two American states-Colorado and Washington-- to continue fighting for the legalization of marijuana.
"As has been well documented, I smoked pot as a kid, and I view it as a bad habit and a vice, not very different from the cigarettes that I smoked as a young person up through a big chunk of my adult life," Obama said in an interview with The New Yorker.
"I don't think it is more dangerous than alcohol," he added.
Though Obama admitted that he smoked pot during his teen life, he clarified that doing drugs is "... a bad idea, a waste of time, not very healthy".
According to The Telegraph, the president's comments about the drugs could pose as a threat to the national drug laws that his justice department have imposed. Marijuana still remains as a schedule 1 controlled substance (this includes heroin and ecstasy) regardless of its legalization in Colorado and Washington by referendum. The White House has stressed that Obama is not in favor of amending the federal rules even as the justice department stated that the legalization process would not be challenged.
These statements were made during a 17, 000-word report which included an analysis of the challenges that he will be facing during his last three years in office after what is said to have been his worst 12 months. He also discussed about the US spies listening in on the phone of German chancellor Angela Merkel, US final treaties in the Middle East, his wife's autobiography and his plans when he leaves the White House.
