by Joseph A. Califano Jr.

About the author: Joseph A. Califano Jr. is president of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. He served as secretary of health, education, and welfare reform from 1977 to 1979.

"FEDS GO TO POT" screamed the New York Post headline in March 1999, after the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released its report "Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base." The Associated Press (AP) reported that the IOM had found "there was no conclusive evidence that marijuana use leads to harder drugs."

Misleading Accounts

A look at the actual report shows that these press accounts are misleading. Consider these words from the report: "Not surprisingly, most users of other illicit drugs have used marijuana first. In fact, most drug users begin with alcohol and nicotine before marijuana—usually before they are of legal age. In...