Many believe what General Barry McCaffrey believes. But first, his background:
"Barry McCaffrey served in the United States Army for 32 years and retired as a four-star General. At retirement he was the most highly decorated serving General, having been awarded three Purple Heart medals for wounds received in his four combat tours – as well as twice awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second highest award for valor. He also twice was awarded the Silver Star for valor.
In May 2010, he was honored as a Distinguished Graduate by the West Point Association of Graduates at the United States Military Academy. In 2007 he was inducted into the US Army Ranger Hall of Fame at the US Army Infantry Center, Ft. Benning, GA. . In 1992 he was awarded the State Department Superior Honor Award for the principal negotiation team for the START II Nuclear Arms Control Treaty. In 2004, Catholic University of America awarded him the James Cardinal Gibbons Medal (Highest Honor), to honor him for distinguished and meritorious service to the United States of America.
For five years after leaving the military, Barry McCaffrey served as the nation’s Cabinet Officer in charge of U.S. Drug Policy. He was confirmed for this position by unanimous vote by the U.S. Senate. For this period of public service, General McCaffrey received many honors including: the Department of Health and Human Service Lifetime Achievement Award for Extraordinary Achievements in the Field of Substance Abuse Prevention (2004), the United States Coast Guard Distinguished Public Service Award, the Norman E. Zinberg Award of the Harvard Medical School, the Federal Law Enforcement Foundation’s National Service Award, and the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America Lifetime Achievement Award.
After leaving government service, Barry McCaffrey served as the Bradley Distinguished Professor of International Security Studies from January 2001 to May 2005; and then as an Adjunct Professor of International Security Studies from May 2005 to December 2010 at the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY."
http://www.mccaffreyassociates.com/?page_id=14
Now that General McCaffrey's qualifications have been established, let's see what he said during an interview with the late Tim Russert on "Meet the Press" on August 10, 1997:
MR. RUSSERT: There's an initiative at the District of Columbia...
GEN. McCAFFREY: Yeah.
MR. RUSSERT: ...advocating the medicinal use of marijuana.
GEN. McCAFFREY: Yeah.
MR. RUSSERT: Would you support that initiative?
GEN. McCAFFREY: Oh, no, not at all.
We've got a national campaign by drug legalizers, in my view, to try and use medicinal uses of drugs and legalization of hemp as a stalking horse to get in under the radar screen..."
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v97/n296/a01.html?71864
aCW, with the help of 4-star General Barry McCaffrey, rests his case.