Is Nicholas Kristof a Libertarian Democrat?

I have blogging for a while on various issues that place me in a narrow slice of the political spectrum: Libertarian Democrat.

It is an absolutely fascinating political point of view that, unfortunately, does not get enough recognition. 
Here is a recent example of a libertarian-Democrat position--Nicholas Kristoff, who is well known for his coverage of all things painful that we would rather be in denial about, says it is time to legalize pot (I wonder if Kristof would label himself a libertarian Democrat):

on Tuesday, California voters will choose to go further and broadly legalize marijuana. I hope so. Our nearly century-long experiment in banning marijuana has failed as abysmally as Prohibition did, and California may now be pioneering a saner approach.

Unfortunately, it does not look like Californians will begin the end to this insane war on drugs.

I dare you: watch this without cracking up :)

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Alcohol worse than heroin. Worst?

"What governments decide is illegal is not always based on science."

 The libertarian Jacob Sullum quoting from a new study in The Lancet that "rates the harmfulness of 20 psychoactive drugs according to 16 criteria and finds that alcohol comes out on top."

Too bad this won't help the Proposition 19 vote in California, which seems to be heading for a defeat.

As usual, defenders of drinking are outraged by the comparison between alcohol and illegal drugs. Brigid Simmonds, chief executive of the British Beer & Pub Association, tells The Sun, "The vast majority of people know it's just not rational to say that enjoying a social beer with friends in the pub or glass of wine over dinner has the moral or societal equivalence of injecting heroin or smoking a crack pipe." Such reactions are based on the observation that the vast majority of drinkers are not alcoholics. Despite alcohol's very real dangers, they generally manage to consume it in a way that not only does not harm them or others but on balance enhances their lives. Here is the point that defensive drinkers like Simmonds miss: If this is possible with alcohol, it is possible with any intoxicant that large numbers of people have shown an interest in consuming.alc