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Jeff Cogen, former Multnomah County Chair, resigned from office in the wake of an affair with a county employee. Now, Cogen faces allegations of pot and cocaine use.

(Thomas Boyd/The Oregonian)

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://polldaddy.com/poll/7546521/"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Would you vote for a public official who uses marijuana?&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Reaction to the news about Jeff Cogen's alleged pot and cocaine use runs the gamut from outrage to a lack of concern best summarized as, as long as he got his work done.

Disclosures about drug use among public officials have become a common and public reality. The list of politicians who admit to having smoked pot includes Portland Mayor Charlie Hales and President Barack Obama.

Marion Barry, the former Washington, D.C. mayor who went to prison after he was videotaped smoking crack in 1990, was re-elected as the city's mayor four years later. More recently, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford on Tuesday admitted to smoking crack, after he was caught on video using the drug months ago.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://polldaddy.com/poll/7546543/"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Would you vote for a public official who uses cocaine?&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Recent polls show most Americans think pot should be legal, and many states including Oregon are taking steps in that direction.

But what does that mean for public officials? Should public officials be allowed to smoke pot while holding office? Is cocaine a different matter?

Take our reader poll to weigh in.

--Kelly House