Pat Robertson: Time to legalize marijuana

Pat Robertson in Metairie, La. February 12, 2006. Photo by Wikipedia/Paparazzo Presents

For once, televangelist Pat Robertson says something not crazy. Via the New York Times:

“I really believe we should treat marijuana the way we treat beverage alcohol,” Mr. Robertson said in an interview on Wednesday. “I’ve never used marijuana and I don’t intend to, but it’s just one of those things that I think: this war on drugs just hasn’t succeeded.”

Legalizing and taxing marijuana, like the U.S. government does with alcohol and tobacco, would not end the war on drugs—nor should we legalize meth or cocaine or heroin.

But Robertson certainly has a point about the effects of marijuana prosecutions. And it’s not like there aren’t already a lot of loopholes to get marijuana legally, at least under various state and municipal laws (though those run afoul of federal law).

Still, can you imagine Robertson teaming up with NORML?