To the Editor:

Bill Keller’s May 20 column, “How to Legalize Pot,” captures the momentum and energy growing around the country to change out-of-date drug laws. This reform will come quickly because of major shifts in state laws and public opinion, coupled with increasing agreement that federal policy is a failure and the success of a new generation of reform advocates.

The challenges that Mr. Keller identifies — dealing with long-term health issues, public safety, enforcement and regulation — are all very real and serious. But legalization of marijuana is coming whether we are ready or not, by the will of the people, so we had better do our best on the state and federal level to address these concerns now.

That’s why I introduced H.R. 501, the Marijuana Tax Equity Act of 2013, which would create a system to tax and regulate marijuana, and H.R. 689, the States’ Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act, which would protect medical marijuana users who are complying with state laws from the fear of federal prosecution.

There is a growing, bipartisan group in Congress that is willing to fix our failed drug policies, harness a new source of revenue and bring marijuana out of the shadows.