President Obama says he has no mechanism to take away the U.S. Medal of Freedom awarded to comedian and western Massachusetts resident Bill Cosby. But the president offered a pointed reference to allegations made against Cosby.

“If you give a woman — or a man, for that matter — without his or her knowledge, a drug and then have sex with that person without consent, that’s rape,” Obama said.

And the president added that no civilized country should have tolerance for rape.

Cosby has denied wrongdoing, but did acknowledge in a recently unsealed deposition that he obtained Quaaludes to give to young women he wanted to have sex with.

Cosby, who lives in Shelburne Falls, was awarded the Medal of Freedom in 2002 by President George W. Bush.