Should Marijuana Be Made Legal? Re "A Bad Trip for Democrats" (Op-Ed, Nov. 8): I disagree with Ed Gogek's assumption that marijuana law reform is an issue that appeals primarily to the political left. Support for ending cannabis prohibition is growing among those of all political and ideological persuasions. Nationwide polls by Gallup, Rasmussen and other respected pollsters indicate that a majority of Americans supports ending cannabis prohibition and replacing it with a system of limited legalization and regulation. Nearly three out of four Americans, including 67 percent of Republican voters, oppose the federal government's interference in state medical marijuana policies. Voters" support for ending the criminalization of cannabis is not limited to Western states. In addition to the Election Day votes in Colorado and Washington, voters in Detroit and four other Michigan cities overwhelmingly approved ballot measures to legalize the possession and use of cannabis by adults. In Massachusetts, voters in more than 40 cities approved nonbinding ballot measures to either regulate marijuana like alcohol or simply repeal cannabis prohibition altogether. It is time to stop stigmatizing and criminalizing tens of millions of Americans for choosing to consume a substance that is safer than either tobacco or alcohol. The writer is deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws and co-author of "Marijuana Is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink?" Ed Gogek's point about drug abusers being "con artists," while a broad generalization, provides yet another reason to legalize marijuana. By creating the medical marijuana loophole, Colorado institutionalized lying for a certain number of those "con artists." Because they will accomplish their goal in any event, my preference is that we simply acknowledge that people will get high, and then take action to control it through regulation while creating tax revenue and diminishing material support for criminal enterprises. The lesser evil, as it were. As a psychotherapist who has treated addiction for 30 years and as a recovering addict, I want to add an amen to Ed Gogek's caution to Democrats inclined to support legalization of marijuana. What politicians need to understand from those of us who treat addiction is that the issues are far more complicated than whether marijuana is harmful. As Dr. Gogek points out, addicts (I include myself historically) are a clever bunch, with built-in defenses (a k a denial) to protect our access to our drugs of choice. To focus the debate on the degree to which marijuana is harmful and addictive is ridiculous. Of course it is harmful and of course it is addictive. That said, I have long supported the legalization of marijuana at the federal level, but from a legal, rather than clinical, perspective. Legalization of marijuana can be an important step in relieving the unnecessary burden on our legal system and overcrowding in our jails. No doubt Ed Gogek is right that some "con artists" fake pain to take advantage of medical marijuana laws. But on which side should we err: the side of giving marijuana to potheads who fake pain or the side of denying marijuana to people who need it for pain relief? Simple human decency should make the answer obvious. I'm a lawyer, my wife is a doctor, and we have five adult children. We all smoke a little pot once in a while, just as our recent presidents did. Did we want our kids to smoke pot when they were young? But thanks to 50 years of misguided policies, pot is more available, cheaper and stronger than it has ever been. It's easier for a kid to get a joint than a beer. The war on drugs is over; drugs won. Let's bring the troops home and start telling our kids the truth about marijuana. GREG ANTON Santa Rosa, Calif., Nov. 8, 2012