Last week, Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy spoke before the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission.  As expected, he touted the effectiveness of the newly unveiled “Third Way” strategy that the U.S. government is currently promoting.  He framed the third-way as the “middle ground approach to drug policy” between legalization and regulation of drugs and incarcerating all consumers.  This myopic and simplistic view of the problem is simply a recapitulation of a failed rhetorical strategy from early on in the Obama administration (anyone remember Kerlikowske declaring that he had “ended the war on drugs”?). As Kerlikowske echoed President Obama’s comments that the legalization debate should be had, he also unequivocally shut it down. It almost seems as if they are trying to pander to both sides—all while the federal government raids medical marijuana dispensaries.