Patrick Kennedy Opposes Legalized Marijuana

Authoritarian views from a Kennedy? Shocker!

For a generation of liberals, legalization of marijuana has become a harmless — if not inevitable — issue.

Not for Patrick Kennedy. The former Rhode Island congressman and scion of the famed Democratic dynasty has taken a surprising turn to the right in this debate.

"Marijuana destroys the brain and expedites psychosis," he told us Tuesday. "It's just overall a very dangerous drug."

Kennedy's public battles with alcohol and prescription drugs are well known. Was pot an issue for him? He's used it but wouldn't elaborate. Still, it's all part of the same conversation for him: "In terms of neurobiology, there's no distinction between the quality and types of drugs that people get addicted to. That's why they call it a gateway drug. Addiction is addiction is addiction."