Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle swiftly apologized yesterday for remarks made at the University of Illinois that Ronald Reagan deserved a "special place in hell" for exacerbating the war on drugs. But while Preckwinkle issued a statement that apologized for her "inflammatory language" she also reiterated a strong opposition to national drug policies.

"For too long we've treated drug use as a criminal justice issue rather than a public health issue, which is what it is," Preckwinkle said in her statement.

Preckwinkle has pushed to decriminalize marijuana throughout Cook County. She has praised Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's newly enacted plan to decriminalize pot in the Windy City.