A Harvard University economist report out shows that there would be a savings of $7.7 billion in federal and state spending and a net income of $6.2 billion in revenue if Marijuana was legalized. Over 500 economists worldwide have publicly agreed and endorsed the report including one of the original Reaganites, Milton Friedman.
I personally see no problem with legalizing it other than the issue of making sure it's not used on the job or by underage people. Of course if you legalize it, like cigarettes, it will find its way into the hands of kids. It already finds its way into the hands of kids, illegally, but it would be more widespread.
I think the overall harm of having it illegal outweighs the harm that having it legalized would have. Legalizing Marijuana would allow for a full focus on the harder and more destructive drugs like Heroin, Methamphetamine and Cocaine. I'll be the first to admit that pot makes you stupid and over a long period of time really stupid and "burnt out", but overindulgence in just about anything is harmful in the long run.
Forbes
The report, "The Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibition," (available at www.prohibitioncosts.org) was written by Jeffrey A. Miron, a professor at Harvard , and largely paid for by the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), a Washington, D.C., group advocating the review and liberalization of marijuana laws.
At times the report uses some debatable assumptions: For instance, Miron assumes a single figure for every type of arrest, for example, but the average pot bust is likely cheaper than bringing in a murder or kidnapping suspect. Friedman and other economists, however, say the overall work is some of the best yet done on the costs of the war on marijuana.
At 92, Friedman is revered as one of the great champions of free-market capitalism during the years of U.S. rivalry with Communism. He is also passionate about the need to legalize marijuana, among other drugs, for both financial and moral reasons.
"There is no logical basis for the prohibition of marijuana," the economist says, "$7.7 billion is a lot of money, but that is one of the lesser evils. Our failure to successfully enforce these laws is responsible for the deaths of thousands of people in Colombia. I haven't even included the harm to young people. It's absolutely disgraceful to think of picking up a 22-year-old for smoking pot. More disgraceful is the denial of marijuana for medical purposes."
Tipped by: Alpha Patriot
wut tha hell?!!r u stupid?legalizing maijuana has got 2 b tha stupidest idea ever!yeah,sure,peple wont spend so much money on it ,but,i mean thimk about it..pot is called a "gateway" drug 4 a reason.you would basically b making more than half the world crack heads or coke phenes,& just 2 save the world money that we're already spending just b cuz bush is keeping the troops in iraq!jesus..does no 1 in this country use their brains?!
Posted by: karmen on April 25, 2008 08:04 PM
I know I'm a little late to the conversation but, what the hell. Karmen, you are mistaken about pot being a gateway drug. According to U.S. government statistics, 75% of Americans who use pot have never tried any harder drugs. A part of the other 25% can be attributed to marijuana being illegal. There is a necessity to associate with others who also use illegal drugs in order to obtain marijuana, and in doing so encountering harder drugs can occur. If marijuana was legalized, the average user would not have to associate with hard drug users.
Posted by: Ethan on October 1, 2008 09:03 AM
Smoking pot doesnt make you stupid, FIRST OF ALL;
and its not a 'gateway' drug. Obviously you have never smoked it, otherwise you wouldn't have said that. Learn your facts, and don't follow the crowd. I have smoked pot and i just found that it relaxes me and helps me focus. I don't smoke on the job, and i dont smoke before/during school. Learn your facts, test your product. Dont keep assumptions because of what your friends say. half the time they are wrong.
Posted by: samantha on October 21, 2008 11:45 AM
