Chuck Rosenberg, Chief of the U.S Drug Enforcement Administration, made statements during a press briefing, Wednesday, that efforts to legalize marijuana are “misguided and wrong and stupid.”

The Washington Post reports that, despite these comments, Rosenberg was not as critical on the issue as the DEA has previously been. Rosenberg stated that it is too early to tell if the recent legalization in Colorado and Washington have had negative effects on the states. “Will we start to see it clearly in 5 to 10 years? I bet we will,” he said during the briefing.

Rosenberg noted, when asked by a Washington Post reporter, that marijuana legalization is an issue that has been on his mind since he took the DEA leadership role, back in May. He noted that his statements may not be “ready for prime-time” but still felt the need to speak up.

The DEA chief feels that the debate nationally mixes two marijuana related issues: full legalization and use for medicinal purposes. To Rosenberg, the issues are vastly different. He says legalization is “dangerous,” and added “…but there’s other stuff in our society that’s dangerous that’s perfectly legal.”

He feels that smoking the plant has “never been shown to be safe or effective as a medicine.” However, that does not apply to marijuana in medicinal forms.