Rep. Jared Polis wasn’t afraid to go on “The Colbert Report” and suck on a beer bong in 2009, but when it comes to pot, he does not partake.

“I like reality too much,” Polis said last year in an “Ask Me Anything” town hall meeting on reddit.com.

The 38-year-old Boulder Democrat may not use pot, but he’s not shy about using his position to criticize the federal prohibition on the drug. As such, he was an obvious choice as a speaker for our next town hall forum: Amendment 64 and the road to marijuana legalization.

Scheduled for this Wednesday at 5 p.m. in our offices in downtown Denver, the event is intended to be a lively but polite discussion on what can, should and might be done on the issue of pot in the days and weeks ahead.

Amendment 64, which voters approved last year, legalized personal possession and non-public use of marijuana in Colorado. It also required the state to come up with regulations for retail pot sales by July 1, with the idea that licenses could be issued as soon as Jan. 1, 2014.

Polis has been an active advocate for legalization in Washington, D.C. He is the prime sponsor of the Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act, which would remove marijuana from the federal list of controlled substances and have it regulated by what would be the newly named Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Marijuana and Firearms. He’s also co-sponsor of measures that would require the federal government to respect state marijuana laws.

The event will feature other prominent figures from many sides of the state’s debate over marijuana policy, including Betty Aldworth, the deputy director of the National Cannabis Industry Association; Rob Corry, an attorney and advocate for medical marijuana and legalization; Diane Carlson, director of SMART Colorado, a citizens group dedicated to responsible marijuana policy; Mike Elliot, an attorney and the executive director of the Medical Marijuana Industry Group; and a TBD representative of law enforcement or groups opposed to legalization.

We had hoped to hear from Barbara Brohl, executive director of the Department of Revenue, which is tasked with regulating the pot industry, but we understand she has little free time these days.

An invitation went out to Attorney General John Suthers, but he is unavailable, as he will be out of the state next week.

We also reached out to John Walsh, the U.S. Attorney in Colorado. Walsh’s office declined, advising us that he would have difficulty speaking to the issue in advance of the Department of Justice formally responding to legalization efforts in Colorado and Washington.

The DOJ response could well be the biggest wild card in the effort to legalize pot in the Wild West.

Policy makers in both states have earnestly taken on the task of crafting rules and regulations for the new industry, yet it remains to be seen if the federal government will step in.

“I expect that we will have an ability to announce what our policy is going to be relatively soon,” Attorney General Eric Holder told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee in March.

While we continue waiting for “soon” to arrive, it’s worth hearing what others involved in the debate have to say about the issue.

If you’re interested in the topic, Wednesday’s forum should be a good place to be — even if Polis won’t be doing a bong hit.

The Denver Post Editorial Board’s pot forum will be held in the Denver Post Auditorium at 101 W. Colfax Ave. from 5-6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The event is free, but tickets must be reserved at http://bit.ly/10quNE4.

E-mail Curtis Hubbard at chubbard@denverpost.com. Follow him on Twitter: @curtishubbard