On NBC10 in Philadelphia, SciCheck reporter Vanessa Schipani discusses two questionable claims that Attorney General Jeff Sessions made about marijuana and opioids.

During an address to law enforcement at the Justice Department on March 15, Sessions said marijuana is “only slightly less awful” than heroin, an illicit opioid. But experts, who have ranked drugs by their harm to society and users, disagree.

Sessions also said he is “astonished to hear people suggest that we can solve our heroin crisis by legalizing marijuana.” But research suggests medical marijuana legalization may help curb opioid overdoses, which have surged in recent years.

For the full SciCheck analysis, see our story, “Sessions’ Dubious Drug Claims.”

This video is part of FactCheck.org’s partnership with NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations, a division of NBCUniversal, to produce fact-checking segments for local NBC stations.