OBAMA WEIGHS IN ON POT VS ALCOHOL DEBATE

In an interview published in the New Yorker magazine on January 19, 2014 President Obama stated that, in his opinion, while “not very healthy”, marijuana isn’t more dangerous than alcohol. He also said he thinks marijuana is less harmful than alcohol on the consumer.

Though still a Schedule 1 substance under Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) guidelines & in Michigan, along with heroin, cocaine and LSD, the Obama Administration has backed off its previously aggressive stance in view of the legalization of marijuana in Colorado and Washington. The DEA has been instructed not to prosecute users in those states under federal law.

It should be noted that although medical marijuana is legal in Michigan the Social Security Administration is a federal agency. Claimants seeking Social Security Disability or SSI benefits should keep this in mind. There are some judges here in the Michigan ODARs hearing Social Security disability & SSI cases who don’t care about Claimant’s use of medical marijuana but there are many who do and will not award benefits to those who have references to use in their medical records.

Anything a patient tells a doctor is likely to wind up in their medical records and can come back to haunt them if they seek Social Security Disability or SSI benefits in front of a Administrative Law Judge in Michigan.