A reader writes:

I've smoked probably a dozen times in my life. I don't do it anymore because for whatever reason, it leaves me in the stupids for about 36 hours, and I usually can't spare that.

But as I've gotten older, I've come to realize just how ridiculously widespread pot use is. The closet of people who either currently or have in the past used marijuana on a semi-regular basis includes probably 75% of the people I know, including highly successful doctors, lawyers, public health researchers, IT professionals, small business owners, architects, local and state politicians, farmers, mechanics, chefs, teachers, researchers, community leaders, my parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and of course the musicians and artists in the crowd too. Yes, I have seen abuse of marijuana sidetrack lives and ambitions, and have true negative impacts on people, but those instances as a percentage of the use I've observed are tiny, and far, far lower than the negative impacts of cigarettes or alcohol.

I recognize that we can't just legalize it and be done. Legalize it with caps on THC levels, blood THC levels for drivers, levels for intoxication at the workplace, tax it at 200%, ban advertisements on TV and billboards, advertisements that target kids, and set a legal smoking age. But all of that is eminently do-able.

Another writes:

If you have to put me in a box, I'm in the "did all kinds of drugs in college, but quit when I had kids" box. I still think most drugs should be legalized.