According to Christian Broadcasting Network spokesman Chris Roslan,

Dr. Robertson did not call for the decriminalization of marijuana. He was advocating that our government revisit the severity of the existing laws because mandatory drug sentences do harm to many young people who go to prison and come out as hardened criminals. He was also pointing out that these mandatory sentences needlessly cost our government millions of dollars when there are better approaches available. Dr. Robertson’s comments followed a CBN News story about a group of conservatives who have proven that faith-based rehabilitation for criminals has resulted in lower repeat offenders and saved the government millions of dollars. Dr. Robertson unequivocally stated that he is against the use of illegal drugs.

Come again?

As you can see from my earlier link, this is what Robertson said:

[T]here’s something else we’ve got to recognize. We’re locking people up that take a couple of puffs of marijuana and the next thing you know they got 10 years. They’ve got mandatory sentences and these judges – they throw up their hands and say, “There’s nothing we can do. It’s mandatory sentences.” We’ve got to take a look at what we’re considering crimes, and that’s one of them. I’m not exactly for the use of drugs, don’t get me wrong, but I just believe that criminalizing marijuana, criminalizing the possession of a few ounces of pot, that kinda thing it’s just, it’s costing us a fortune and it’s ruining young people. Young people go into prisons, they go in as youths and come out as hardened criminals. That’s not a good thing.

This, boys and girls, is an endorsement of marijuana decriminalization, which is why it was reported this way everywhere.

What appears to be so is that Robertson has concerns about mandatory minimum sentences. There’s certainly a case to be for that position. But in arguing for it, Robertson used an illustration that was unfortunate because it was uninformed. His scenario – a young kid who takes a couple of puffs of marijuana and end us in prison for a decade, coming out as a hardened criminal and a greater threat to society – was detached from the real world.

Robertson should simply say so. He should say something like this: “I made a mistake the other day in calling for the decriminalization of marijuana. The example I issued was ill-advised; it doesn’t really bear on the concern I was trying to express. And while I believe we should carefully examine mandatory drug sentencing laws, I think, on reflection, that decriminalizing marijuana would be a very bad idea.”

Instead, CBN’s spokesman is trying to undo the damage by insisting Robertson was not advocating what he was clearly advocating.

I’ve never understood why public figures choose to employ silly efforts at spin rather than being forthcoming about a mistake – especially when the spin will only succeed in provoking belly laughs. (h/t: hotair.com)