High times

The times, they are a changin:

Eight in 10 Americans support legalizing marijuana for medical use and nearly half favor decriminalizing the drug more generally, both far higher than a decade ago.

With New Jersey this week poised to become the 14th state to legalize medical marijuana, 81 percent in this national ABC News/Washington Post poll support the idea, up from an already substantial 69 percent in 1997. Indeed the main complaint is with restrictions on access, as in the New Jersey law.

Fifty-six percent say that if it's allowed, doctors should be able to prescribe medical marijuana to anyone they think it can help.

Some conservatives argue against medical marijuana as a mere dodge, an excuse by pro-dopers to get marijuana accepted any way possible. But that's OK with me. This is being played out in the states, as it should be in our federal system. Once a tipping point is reached, the federal government will have to take notice. (Of course that tipping point will be higher or lower, depending on who's in the White House.)