Advocates of medical marijuana are circulating a YouTube video of a 2011 debate at the University of Arkansas between Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, and Asa Hutchinson, not then governor but speaking as a former DEA administrator and congressman.
A nice cherry to pick out of Hutchinson’s remarks, who was otherwise opposed to decriminalized marijuana, came after he mentioned how medical marijuana had become a “joke” in California with dispensaries nominally set up to serve medical needs becoming sources of recreational marijuana. He took pains to add he didn’t want to diminish those with legitimate medical concerns.
I think that if there’s a medical need and the doctors say you need a particular substance, whether it is Marinol [synthetic cannabis] or marijuana or whatever, if the doctor or medical community says that, then the patient ought to be able to get that.
Find it around the 37-minute mark. As for context, he did add that medicalization of marijuana held great potential for abuse.