Americans appear to have struck an odd compromise on marijuana, with most believing the drug should remain illegal but wanting prohibitions against its use lightly enforced, the Denver Post reported Sept. 18.

Producing and distributing marijuana still carries big penalties, but a number of U.S. communities have limited police authority to prosecute minor marijuana offenses, and even more have legalized medical use of marijuana. Denver residents will go to the polls in November to vote on whether to make marijuana possession the city's lowest law-enforcement priority.

"Americans are making a very clear and logical distinction," said Allen St. Pierre, director of the marijuana legalization group NORML. "Possession is OK, but as soon as you introduce the idea of individuals growing [or legal distribution] you lose support in all of our polling."

A previous ballot initiative in Denver eliminated local marijuana-possession penalties, but city police are still citing residents for violating the state law against possession. "I think the voters of this country still advocate enforcement of marijuana laws," said Denver police Sgt. Ernie Martinez.

In the U.S., 13 states allow medical use of marijuana, and polls show up to 73 percent of Americans support medical marijuana. In 2006, New Mexico voters approved a measure that would see the state distribute the drug to medical-marijuana users.

On the other hand, research has shown that just 32 percent of Americans support legalizing marijuana and selling it on par with alcohol and tobacco. That's up from 19 percent in 1973, but NORML's St. Pierre said legalization support "has plateaued."

One change in the recent debate is that it has become respectable to argue both sides of the marijuana-legalization issue, with pundits like William F. Buckley Jr. and the Denver Post among those calling for marijuana legalization.