It's hard to argue with Califano's thesis, that substance abuse is a
huge, expensive and often tragic problem in the U.S., particularly when
it affects children; best known for declaring cigarettes "public health
enemy number one" as Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare,
Califano is clearly passionate, well-meaning and unafraid to think big:
"We must end our denial, stamp out the stigma, rethink our concept of
crime and punishment...to confront this plague." His sincerity and
conviction is a two-edged sword, however: he comes off big-hearted one
minute ("I am calling for...acceptance of such abuse and addiction as a
chronic disease"), humorless and out of touch the next ("Movies like 40
Year Old Virgin and Wedding Crashers play excessive alcohol use for
laughs").