Kerlikowske Will Leave Post as Director of Office of National Drug Control Policy

Gil Kerlikowske will leave his post as Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. He was nominated by President Obama on Friday to become the new U.S. Commissioner of Customs.

Kerlikowske has called marijuana legalization an “extreme approach,” the newspaper notes. At the National Press Club in April, he said legalizing marijuana will not solve the country’s drug problem. He added state laws in Colorado and Washington that have legalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana present complex questions.

In June, he said the popularity of medical marijuana sends the wrong message to young people. He also spoke about addiction, saying it should be treated as a public health issue, and how it is a brain disease and should not be treated as a moral failure.

Before heading ONDCP, Kerlikowske served nine years as the Chief of Police for Seattle.