It's a topic you may not be used to hearing presidents talk much about. (Via The White House )
But in an interview with The New Yorker's David Remnick, President Obama articulated his views on marijuana.
When Obama was asked about pot, he said he doesn't think it's any more dangerous than alcohol, though he was quick to say smoking also wasn't a healthy habit to get into. (Via The White House / Pete Souza)
CNN points out despite the president's views on the safety of marijuana compared to alcohol, "[it's] still placed in the same category as heroin, ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms by the federal government."
The president also said punishments for drug use have gone too far, specifically for minorities who he says are disproportionately punished harder than others.
Telling The New Yorker, "We should not be locking up kids or individual users for long stretches of jail time when some of the folks who are writing those laws have probably done the same thing."
But it wasn't just what he had to say about marijuana that's gained attention. On a much different note, the president talked football, and more specifically, football safety.
After being asked about a recent football game he'd been watching, the president told the reporter he wouldn't let his son play football if he had one — something he tied mostly to safety concerns. (Via Business Insider)
Obama compared playing football to smoking cigarettes because players know about the risks involved, much like smokers know about the dangers behind smoking. (Via The Washington Post)
Still, he added that's not enough to discourage him from tuning in for an entertaining game every Sunday. (Via The White House/ Pete Souza)
Looking ahead, Obama says he plans to write a memoir once he leaves the White House in 2017.
