Unexpected Endorsement of the Day

Marijuana legalization advocates have an unlikely new supporter: right-wing evangelical leader Pat Robertson. In an interview this week, Robertson said he believes marijuana should be treated "the way we treat beverage alcohol," and came out in support of decriminalization measures that will be on the ballot this fall in Washington and Colorado. "I've never used marijuana and I don't intend to," he said, "But it's just one of those things that I think: this war on drugs just hasn't succeeded." His newly-public position wasn't inspired by any particular event, he said. He just believes that America "has gone overboard on this concept of being tough on crime," and that current penalties for pot possession are too stiff. Robertson isn't troubled by accusations from other conservatives that he has "forsaken the straight and narrow" with his pro-legalization views. "I just want to be on the right side," he said. "And I think on this one, I'm on the right side." [nyt.]