Montel: Pot Decision 'Crazy'

A visibly frustrated Montel Williams says the Supreme Court's decision that patients can be prosecuted for using prescribed marijuana medicinally is "crazy."

The Emmy Award-winning talk show host told The Early Show co-anchor Hannah Storm Tuesday that he

The high Court ruled that federal authorities may prosecute patients who use marijuana on doctors' orders, but said Congress could change the law to permit pot use for medical reasons. The action was in response to a Bush administration appeal of a case it lost in 2003.

Overall, Williams says, "Nothing changed. The Supreme Court just validated what has already been in place continuously. This was an appeal decision, not a decision saying all of a sudden there's something wrong with marijuana.

"The Supreme Court didn't really attack marijuana. It just said there are some interstate commerce issues here that we need to stop.

"The truth is, unfortunately, it shows the confusion on this issue nationally. Our Supreme Court just a year ago said it was OK for doctors to recommend (marijuana) and they can't be prosecuted for telling patients to use it. Therefore, doctors can tell you to use it. But once they tell you to use it, 'I'm gonna then come prosecute you.' How crazy is this?"

"I don't think anything will change," Williams continued, "but I think what it has set in motion is the fact that the Supreme Court itself said that this becomes a congressional issue.

"Truthfully, the easiest way to solve this problem, very simple: We pay our taxes for this. The (DEA) Drug Enforcement Administration can…put (marijuana) in the same category as cocaine, morphine and other drugs and let doctors prescribe it. I don't understand why this has become so ridiculous."

Williams told of legalization moves in Britain and Canada, adding, "Our government has been dispensing marijuana for 25 years through a program at the University of Mississippi. …We've been studying it for 25 years. If they haven't learned enough about it in 25 years, we should fire everybody involved in this program."

Calling Justice John Paul Stephens' declaration that medical marijuana opens the door for abuse by dealers and drug traffickers, and for prescription abuse, an "absolute lie," Williams asserted, "Right now, the most abused drugs in this country are prescription medications, like OxyContin, Vicodin and others.

"I've tried those," he said. "I've got a cabinet full of them right now prescribed to me, and they don't work. All they do is end up shutting down your kidneys, shutting down your intestines. If I take enough OxyContin, I could sit in a corner and drool.

Admitting he's "feared" prosecution "since day one," Williams continued, "The bottom line is, I'm paying my taxes so I can work every day. If you come after me for this, I'll stop working. I don't know what else to say."