How Much Government Tax Money Is Spent On Controlling Marijuana?
How much tax money would be saved if marijuana was legalized and monitered by the buero of alchohal, tobbacco, and firearms? How much money would be saved if marijuana is decriminalized (decriminalized is different from legalized).
i believe the war on drugs cost the usa about $40 billion a year – what percentage of that is solely for marajuana i’m not sure.
but the prohibition is far better for the organized crime that benefit from it, then the harms that would exist if it were legalized and controlled like alcohol.
there has never been a documented case of a person dying from an overdose and the claim that pot is a ‘gateway drug’ has been refuted over and over (though that has not stopped idiots from stating that anyway).
about 80% of those in prison for violent crimes were DRUNK when they did what got them put in prison – but we hear literally no talk of doing something about this.
cigarettes kill more people than nearly all other sources COMBINED – and our govt SUBSIDIZES IT!
there is no good reason why this is still illegal, other than empty headed politicians want to ‘appear’ tough on crime.
if marajuana were legalized it would be a HUGE tax windfall – just like alcohol is now and the organized crime that currently benefit from sales would be deprived of this income.
by nostrada
on 28. Feb, 2010
None. The money would be shifted from prevention to rehab.
by Jorell
on 28. Feb, 2010
How much could be saved if we didn’t control a lot of other things too.
Let’s make a deal – you smoke your grass, I’ll burn my leaves.
by Mongo
on 28. Feb, 2010
that would be difficult to quantify because drug control is all lumped together. the gov does not apportion out x number of dollars for opiates, crack, pot etc. It is all lumped together. Obviously alot of money would be saved and alot of money would be made because instead of putting people behind bars for pot charges (which costs tens of thousands a year to house an inmate) they would be in society paying taxes.
by truthwil
on 28. Feb, 2010
In fact the question is.. how much is spent ensuring you are controlled.
by incubato
on 28. Feb, 2010