Video: FBI director, Congressman spar on "gateway drug"

I got this over the weekend, but I’m not sure it’s the smackdown it’s cracked up to be. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) grills FBI Director Robert Mueller on marijuana enforcement, and I’d normally be sympathetic to Cohen’s position, but Cohen isn’t arguing here; he’s pontificating, and without much evidence either way. The clip purports to show Mueller getting “schooled” on legalization, but it’s the most fact-deficient education outside of the Taliban School for Girls. See what you make of this:

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If I wanted to argue this point, I would have asked Mueller whether alcohol use preceded marijuana use in these teen drug deaths, which is almost always the case, and then made the point that we don’t ban alcohol because it’s generally not toxic and adults can use it responsibly. Marijuana is even less toxic than alcohol, and its widespread (if illicit) use demonstrates that most adults can handle it responsibly, too. That’s not the case with cocaine, crystal meth, etc.

Of course, that assumes Cohen wanted to actually make an argument at least somewhat more intelligent than claiming milk is a gateway drug to beer. Maybe Cohen just wanted to get on YouTube waving his hand around. Live the dream, baby ….

Update: I had the wrong party on Cohen, who is a Democrat — which I knew, but for some reason put at R next to his name.

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