Beginning with a clip of then-Illinois State Senator Obama discussing his support for decriminalizing marijuana, Rachel Maddow considers the implication of President Obama’s appointee for director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, Seattle police chief Gil Kerlikowske. While some drug policy reform activists are disappointed that a law enforcement official has been appointed as “drug czar” instead of a public health expert, Marijuana Policy Project’s spokesperson Bruce Mirken suggests that Kerlikowske’s appointment is “reason for cautious optimism.”

—Corbin Hiar

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