Conflicting marijuana laws can give everyone a serious headache and lead to a comedy of errors. This was demonstrated by John Oliver in a recent episode of Last Week Tonight which, in a heady shift from Donald Trump, compares the discrepancies in marijuana management in different American states.

Although some research suggests that marijuana isn’t as dangerous as other addictive substances (including legal options like alcohol and tobacco) , the US federal government has given it a dangerous label. It’s called a Schedule 1 drug while cocaine is, surprisingly, less severe and a Schedule II drug, according to the authorities.

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While 26 states do allow marijuana in some form, federal and state laws are clearly at odds on this, leading to plenty of confusion and a seriously tangled legal web.

Those who may suffer the most include the group of people who have to depend on the substance for medical reason. For example, a paralysed man named Brandon Coats smokes marijuana to control his seizures. He was at the receiving end of the law when his company decided to dismiss him after he failed a drug test (marijuana isn’t legal under federal law).

The state of Colorado, though, had given him a licence to use the drug for medical reasons. Oliver sums it up, ”That’s like driving exactly the speed limit and getting pulled over by a cop, who tells you ‘Sorry, the federal speed limit is three, and the legal age to drive is 62, and also you have to be drunk.’ ”

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The situation has worsened with the new administration as Attorney General Jeff Sessions feels rather strongly about it. Marijuana is dangerous as far as he is concerned and “good people” don’t smoke it.

Oliver’s response? He quoted Lady Gaga to make his point. “Lady Gaga also said, ‘I believe that men and women deserve to love each other equally,’ as well as ‘Touch me in the dark, put your hands all over my body parts.’ So please Jeff, if you’re going to live your life according to Gaga quotes, accept the entire canon.”