Continued legalization of marijuana across the United States would be a disaster for the nation, Bill Kristol, founder and editor of The Weekly Standard and an ABC News political commentator, told
Newsmax TV.
"It's really irresponsible the attitude people have taken towards this, that it's a chic thing … to say we've got to decriminalize some of these drugs,'' Kristol said Wednesday on Newsmax's "The Steve Malzberg Show.
"But it's playing with our kids' futures, really.''
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Kristol said he served as chief of staff to Secretary of Education William Bennett during the Reagan administration, when Washington launched its ambitious crusade against drugs.
"You looked at the damages being done by the drug epidemic then, and there'll be more drug use if it's legal and if it's cheap. So yeah, I'm very concerned about what's happening.''
Thus far, Colorado and Washington, have legalized the recreational use of marijuana, and Maryland passed a law decriminalizing possession of 10 grams or less. Maryland, New York and Minnesota have also passed legislation for the use of medical pot.
Kristol also weighed in on President Barack Obama's use of executive power and the recent warnings by Democrats that the GOP wants to impeach the commander-in-chief.
"I’m not for impeaching him, no one really is, I guess, at this point,'' Kristol said.
"The conventional wisdom is … it would be an utter political disaster, a horrible mistake."
Kristol said he was surprised that Florida Sen. Marco Rubio was one of 11 Republicans who voted along with Democrats in the Senate to keep the president's request for $3.7 billion to help ease the U.S.-Mexico border crisis.
"I would have voted on the other way on that…. Getting this president $3 billion with no strings, basically no legal changes … that doesn't sit well with me,'' he said.
"It's not that we're not spending enough money that's causing this to happen right? So it's crazy for Republicans to go along with that Democratic narrative.''
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