During her factually troubled debate performance last week, Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina accidentally made at least one somewhat accurate remark: “We are misleading young people when we tell them that marijuana is just like having beer. It’s not.”

Fiorina is right — just not in the way she meant. She was arguing that pot is more dangerous than alcohol. But the evidence shows the opposite is true — marijuana is, in fact, safer than alcohol.

This distinction should be a big deal for Fiorina and other presidential candidates: Getting this right isn’t just a matter of being informed; it’s also key to understanding some of the major issues surrounding marijuana, alcohol, and drug policy today.