President Barack Obama, forever maybe-sorta-OK-with-but-not-exactly-jazzed-about cannabis, was unconvinced by the New York Times's late-to-the-party proclamation that the plant should be legalized on a federal level.

Reporters asked White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest today whether the editorial had changed the president's mind about pot, to which he replied:

The administration's position on this has not changed. We remain committed to treating drug use as a public health issue, not just a criminal justice problem.

That the Times would suddenly lead Obama's thoughts straight to full-on legalization was a long shot, but the president's position has evolved, as they say, since he took office in 2008. Obama said in a January New Yorker interview that weed isn't more dangerous than alcohol, and a White House memo from this month described legalization as a "states' rights" issue. Maybe someone should ask him again after the week of 420-friendly editorials on the way from the paper is over.

[Image via AP]