Jim Ramstad, (R-MN) who is rumored to be Obama’s choice for Drug Czar may, on the surface, look like the ideal man for the job. This is primarily because he is a recovering alcoholic himself so most would assume that he would have a unique insight and empathy for the problem.

This is not necessarily so as "recovering people" have the same prejudices and diversity of beliefs that everyone has. In fact, people in recovery may be even more judgmental then the average “joe".” Let me explain….

Everyone in recovery has their own story to tell in terms of the depth of their addiction and their motivation for seeking help with their problem.

You may have held of the term, “high bottom drunk” which means that the alcoholic did not have to lose everything before seeking treatment or a 12-step program. Conversely, at the other end of the spectrum, there is the “street addict” that most times did lose everything they had before seeking help.

The life experiences that these people have to share would be very different from each other. Actually, at most 12-step meetings it is not uncommon to discover that the only thing that everybody in the room has in common, is their substance abuse.

As a result, it can also be said that most high bottom drunks or addicts are not very understanding of their bothers and sisters who were not as fortunate. If you think that there is a universal understanding between all in the recovering community….you are very mistaken.

It is for those reasons and more that I say that Jim Ramstad might not be the ideal candidate for Drug Czar. Especially since he was against the one issue that has consistently separated those who put science and saving lives in front of politics. That is needle exchange programs which prevent the spread of HIV and other blood borne illnesses.

Needle exchanges have been shown repeatedly to reduce HIV and contrary to the claims of opponents, they help addicts get into treatment.

In 1992, Ramstad said, "Federal funds should be used to get people off drugs not facilitate drug abuse…let’s support programs that save lives, not destroy lives." By then, dozens of studies from around the world already suggested that clean needle programs not only reduce HIV, but attract addicts into recovery.

In 1999 — with the data now overwhelming — Ramstad voted to prevent Washington, DC from using its own money to fund syringe exchange.

New York, by contrast, started needle exchange relatively early and saw infection rates cut in half over the following years, according to a 1998 study.

Ramstad also — again, against the evidence — opposes medical marijuana and supports federal policing and prosecution of providers and patients in the states that have made it legal. These states have not seen the rise in teen drug use that opponents like the Congressman predicted.

The opposite, in fact, happened — as is the case in countries that have decriminalized marijuana like Holland. The UK’s "downgrading" of cannabis offense to a lesser status was also accompanied by a drop in use.

While Ramstad has opposed some interdiction efforts and called for more treatment funding, someone who doesn’t even believe that addicts have a right to life if they aren’t in treatment is not the kind of recovering person that I want representing me as drug czar.

While it’s great to have a recovering person as an example, just having a disease and talking with others who’ve recovered the same way you did does not make you an expert. We need someone who knows the science, recognizes that there are many paths to recovery — and understands that dead addicts can’t recover.

***These insights are as a result of my own experiences as I have been a recovering drug addict and alcoholic since 1983. I would also like to thank Maia Szalavitz of the Huffington Post for her contribution to this article.