I agree with Branson, and think the interviewer really misses the point. Mary Jane may be a gateway drug, but if so, it's a gateway drug whether or not it's illegal. We really need to start thinking about drugs as a health problem, not a criminal problem.
If we want to stop people using drugs, we need to offer treatment and support, not incarceration.
We've created an incredible criminal class for no damn good reason while wasting billions and billions of dollars.