If, as Gil Kerlikowske stated in the response "What We Have to Say About Legalizing Marijuana", there is an aim to make policy "based on science and research, not ideology or politics" how does the administration justify marijuana being illegal while alcohol is legal?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) alcohol is the 3rd largest risk factor for disease burden worldwide and the leading risk factor in the Americas.
http://www.ncadd.org
Alcohol causes cognitive impairment; disease of the heart, liver, and pancreas; multiple types of cancer; and depresses the immune system.
http://www.niaaa.nih.gov
Alcohol was a factor in up to 37% of violent crime between 1997 and 2008.
http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov
Alcohol treatment only has about a 25-35% success rate.
http://health.nytimes.com