Barack Obama has said that young Americans should be more worried about climate change than whether smoking pot was legal . The US President said the legalization of marijuana should come at the bottom of a long list of priorities for youths which also included the economy , war and peace . He was asked in an interview whether he legalising the drug would be part of his legacy as leader . Scroll down for video . Obama has said that young Americans should be worried about a lot more than whether smoking pot is legal . But Obama , who has previously admitted he used to smoke cannabis as a youngster , told Vice : 'First of all , it shouldn't be youngest people's biggest priority . Young people , I understand this is important to you , but you should be thinking about climate change , the economy , jobs , war and peace - maybe way at the bottom you should be thinking about marijuana . ' So far , four states and the District of Columbia have legalized some recreational use of the drug , and 23 states and D.C. permit its use for medicinal purposes . But Obama said that the US justice system was 'skewed ' towards non-violent drug offenders and the 'disproportionate ' prison sentence came at the huge cost to communities and the state . The President has come out in favour of decriminalization as a way to tackle the skewed system but said he felt that the issue was very separate from encouraging people to use marijuana . He added that he felt 'encouraged ' by the numbers of politicians , including conservative Republicans , who were beginning to see the cost of keeping the drug illegal did n't add up . Obama has been very open about his past experimentation with drugs and alcohol in high school . In 2006 , then a New Hampshire Democratic presidential candidate , Obama was asked about his use of marijuana . When asked if he inhaled- a reference to former President Bill Clinton who , while admitting to trying marijuana , claimed he did not inhale - the future President said : ' I did . That was the point . 'It 's not something I 'm proud of . It was a mistake as a young man . ' Obama also suggested that if medical marijuana was the best way to relieve pain and suffering then it was something he would be open to . 'We may actually be able to make progress on the decriminalization side , ' he added , 'At a certain point , if enough states end up decriminalizing , then Congress may then re-schedule marijuana . ' But while he appeared to take steps towards decriminalization , Obama warned legalization was n't a 'panacea ' and there will still many who had concerns about the drug 's affect on society . There are currently 23 states and D.C. which allows marijuana for medicinal purposes . The Controlled Substances Act on 1970 listed marijuana as a Schedule I drug making it illegal to manufacture , distribute or possess marijuana in the United States . But in August 2013 , the U.S. Justice Department confirmed it would n't challenge Colorado or other states with laws legalizing recreational marijuana . Punishment for people found in possession of the drug currently depends on the location they were caught . For example , in Colorado , individuals aged over 21 can carry up to one ounce of cannabis and growing up to six marijuana plants at home without prosecution . The increasingly relaxed stance on the drug has seen a rise in the numbers of states looking to decriminalize or legalize the drug . In last year alone , Alaska , and Oregon voted to legalize recreational marijuana , which came into force this year , and Maryland became the 18th state to decriminalize the drug . Minnesota and New York became the 22nd and 23rd state to legalize medical marijuana in some form . They are likely to be swiftly followed by others next year when ballot initiatives in California , Massachusetts , Maine , Nevada and Arizona other states are likely to be put to voters . Only this month , a trio of senators unveiled a package of drug reforms that would effectively end the federal war on medical marijuana . While it would n't legalize it , the bill would remove the threat of federal prosecution for patients who use it in states where it is legal .
Barack Obama said youth should be worried about more than if pot is legal . President said climate change , economy and war were more important . Comment: But he said issue was separate from encouraging people to use the drug .