Stoners rejoice! The President approves of marijuana legalization! Or so many wanted to believe after he was quoted saying that he believed marijuana to be “no more dangerous than alcohol.” However, a closer view at the interview presents that he may not approve as much as many would like, and further questions arise regarding the validity of the statement.

President Barack Obama made the remarks in a lengthy interview with David Remnick, of the magazine “The New Yorker”. Many topics surfaced and “pot” proved to be one of them. In light of the president’s past usage of marijuana, the issue of marijuana legalization arising almost daily as Colorado offers their residents the first legal highs in the United States.

When pressed about the topic, Obama mentioned that he views marijuana “as a bad habit and a vice,” “a bad idea, a waste of time” and “not very healthy.” He continued by comparing the smoking of marijuana as a youth to smoking cigarettes.

The comments raised questions regarding the danger of marijuana in comparison to currently legal and illegal actions. Now, marijuana does not cause the 88,000 deaths that the Center for Disease Control reports on alcohol, but that does not mean it exists without harm to society in several other ways. For instance, rates of dependency ride close behind those of alcohol. The National Institute on Drug Abuse also reports that 6.8 percent of drivers who were involved in accidents tested positive for THC, a key component of marijuana.

However, many supporters of cannabis bring to light its medicinal qualities as a justifiable reason to legalize the drug (especially when compared to alcohol, which serves little to no positive return). But when it comes down to it, how many users of either marijuana or alcohol, are really searching for medicinal qualities? Whatever happens when legislators vote on legalization in the coming months, America at least has a sense of how the President feels.