You're missing the point; Kesey's celebrated for his fine novels, not his drug use. 

Wall Street runs the country alright, into the ditch. They should be busted for driving the economy while intoxicated, which is lethal. There's no reason to honor that. Nobody was prosecuted for wrecking the economy in 2008. That's more than enough "honor."

And there's nothing contradictory about conservatives advocating legalization: if you are opposed to government interference in people's personal lives--which is a prime conservative position--then support for legalization is perfectly consistent with conservative values.