Like this nation "threw the alcohol war under the bus"?
Not sure I understand what you mean. Cooke meant allow all drugs to be legal, as NR and the rest of the libertarians want. That is probably what you want.
But he presented this as a compromise, to let the Republicans win, even though, sneakily, he may actually want it for its own sake. Same with gay marriage.
Conservatives are not fooled that easily, and they are not so easily compromised.