Marijuana is Safer coauthor and NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano stuck it to U.S. Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske in a column in today's Los Angeles Times. 

In a nutshell, Kerlikowske et al argue that, if legalized, marijuana's perceived social costs would outweigh the economic benefits reaped by regulation. They base this allegation largely on the premise that present taxes on alcohol and cigarettes fail to adequately pay for the societal costs associated with those drugs' use and abuse. True enough, but here's why this sound bite is irrelevant to the present marijuana debate.

Marijuana is safer than alcohol.

Read the full column to see his concise explanation.  We also encourage you to check out a couple other great pieces he just had published -- this one at the Christian Science Monitor, and this one at AlterNet.