Polls are always susceptible to criticism, but they are also one of the few scientific methods we have of sampling public sentiment.

And most polls indicate the public backs legalizing recreational pot.

And there’s probably a good reason for that – polls also show that more than half of American adults have tried marijuana – at least once.

That was definitely something to keep in mind during hours of testimony and debate Monday over legislation to make it legal to smoke weed in New Jersey. At the end of the day, the bill cleared a joint (excuse the pun) Assembly-Senate committee and now goes to the floor of each body for a final vote. For some reason – perhaps a bizarre case of political correctness – the bill refers not to “marijuana,” but to “cannabis.”

So be it.

Opponents of legalization had many complaints, but they more or less centered on a few areas.

Pot is addictive – even though a lot of evidence, and undoubtedly personal experiences of many, say it is not.

Pot is simply bad for you.

And it is exceptionally bad for children, especially the edible variety. One heard scary tales of kids being manipulated to consume pot-laden ice cream bars.

As we said, it must be kept in mind that many people have tried pot and are even using it regularly.

What is also needed in this debate is not traditional Democratic Party thinking. We’re not talking about the “welfare state” here. But we are talking about what Republicans used to be known for – a strong case of Libertarian philosophy.

Simply stated, this is the belief that government should in most cases let people do what they want. This school of thought is based on the premise that left to their own devices, the overwhelming majority of human beings will make rational decisions. For instance, a rational truck driver – meaning one who wants to keep his job – is not going to consume a pot brownie and hop behind the wheel of a tractor-trailer.

Likewise, he’s not going to down three shots of vodka and do the same.

To the argument that pot is addictive, one rational response would be, “No it’s not.”  Another response, equally rational, would be so what? Are there not many things in life that are addictive? Alcohol for one.

How about cigarettes? Gambling? And for some people, even food?

We do not in a free society outlaw, nor should we, every substance that can cause people harm. No, we understand that most people can use such substances without hurting themselves, and we try to assist those who cannot.

No one suggests that the traditional way of using marijuana is healthy. After all, you are inhaling smoke into your lungs. But that in itself is no reason to ban it – just like we do not outlaw cigarettes or eating fatty, unhealthy food.

Opponents also raised fears legalizing marijuana would hurt children.

Let’s live in the real world. There are many children – I refer to those under 18 – who smoke pot now. Is it the smart thing to do? No, but it’s reality. It is also reality that there are many adults today living successful and productive lives who smoked pot when they were teenagers with no lasting detrimental effect.

You heard talk Monday about marijuana dispensaries opening up “near schools.” Really? Cities and towns have zoning codes that likely would prevent that.

This train of thought is based on a belief that children would be attracted to pot-laced candy.

Well, the age to buy such products would be 21. And we also heard fears that an adult’s stash of pot-candy lying around someone’s house may be discovered by youngsters. Well, knowing that youngsters for years have purloined bottles of booze from their parents’ liquor cabinet, isn’t it the job of parents to prevent that whether we’re dealing with booze or pot?

Now that the legalization bill made it to the floor, the debate will continue. Pot of course is legal in many states – and the list is growing. From what we heard Monday, the experience of Colorado and other “legal states” is probably not that helpful. It is human nature for people to cite and to interpret stats that fit their narrative.

But there seems no dispute that opponents are fighting a losing battle. The public by all accounts likes using weed, or if you will, cannabis.

That’s something lawmakers must not forget.