Ex-Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens: Let's legalize pot

Freed from the reclusive stuffiness of the Supreme Court, former Justice John Paul Stevens now says marijuana should be legal.

In an interview with NPR's Scott Simon, Stevens said the "distinction between marijuana and alcoholic beverages is really not much of a distinction." And when asked directly if the feds should legalize marijuana, Stevens responded in the affirmative.

"Alcohol, the prohibition against selling and dispensing alcoholic beverages has I think been generally, there's a general consensus that it was not worth the cost," he added. "And I think really in time that will be the general consensus with respect to this particular drug."

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Statistically, Stevens' remarks shouldn't be too surprising. More than half of all Americans now favor legalizing marijuana, and that support is rising.

It seems like a matter of time before a viable presidential candidate (publicly) feels the same way.