The problem is that this is not seen in the context of quid pro quo. Why should we give the left anything at all?
Now, let’s say for a moment that the left was willing to trade legalization of pot for illegalization of abortion. Now we’re onto something! I could be very happy with a deal that would allow the left to chemically lobotomize itself in exchange for keeping the unborn alive. Heck, I’d throw in legalization of heroin and cocaine as well.
Expanding individual liberty is giving to every adult, left, right, or center.
Legalization is a smaller gov't, i.e. conservative issue.
We ought to do the right thing, whether it makes the left happy, or apopleptic.
I think marijuana use would increase some, if it were legalized, and that would be a bad thing. The public policy question is "does preventing that increase in marijuana use justify the (marijuana component of) war on drugs?
I'm not prepared, today, to answer that question "No", but I think that the question should be answered at the state level.
Regarding lefties “chemically lobotomizing” themselves... it’s a strong characterization for pot, but there is a good point there. Pot is a demotivator, but do we really want to find out what all the potheads could do if they were motivated? These people choose voluntarily to veg out, but there’s no telling what trouble they could get into if we take away the bong. I mean, the next Hitler could be playing XBox in his mom’s basement right now, sparing the world from untold atrocities, thanks to the devil weed.