Pubdate: Sat, 04 Mar 2000 Source: Associated Press Copyright: 2000 Associated Press DRUG CZAR CRITICIZES MEDICAL POT SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (AP) -- White House drug czar Barry McCaffrey spoke harshly against the medical use of marijuana, calling much of it ``a crock'' and saying more research is needed. ``Ask a doctor if he really wants a big blunt stuck in a patient's face as treatment,'' McCaffrey said on Friday, the final day of a national conference on addiction at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. ``A lot of this is a crock.'' Some 20 medical marijuana supporters protested outside the library, carrying signs, banners and a pot plant. Marijuana is banned by the federal government, although voters in six states -- Alaska, Arizona, California, Maine, Oregon and Washington -- have approved laws allowing the drug to be used for medical purposes. McCaffrey -- a longtime opponent of medical marijuana use and other forms of drug legalization -- said the federal government is spending increasing sums to fight substance abuse, and suggested state and local governments need to do more to ensure the money is well-spent. - --- MAP posted-by: Allan Wilkinson