We spend 10 BILLION a year on marijuana enforcement, think its time to decriminalize/legalize?
Growing medical marijuana with a medical card?
September 14, 2010
Spanish 4A Crime Scene Project
September 14, 2010
-10.7 Billion dollars down the drain
-Not to mention the 30 Billion we’re missing out on by not regulating and taxing marijuana.
-829,627 people are arrested every year for marijuana offenses. That’s more than the entire population of North Dakota + the entire population of a small American city
42 BILLION dollars that could have been spent on:
-We could pass the State Children’s Health Insurance Program that Bush is threatening to veto (because it costs too much!): 7 Billion
– We could hire 880,000 schoolteachers at the average U.S. teacher salary of $47,602 per year.
-Or give every one of our current teachers a 30 percent raise (at a cost of $15 billion, according to the American Federation of Teachers) and use what’s left to take a $27 billion whack out of the federal deficit.
-Or use all $42 billion for a massive tax cut that would put an extra $140 in the pockets of every person in the country — $560 for a family of four.
PS-no dumbass jokes please (r u high?)
WT, I just looked that up, and it plays on Showtime on Nov. 1st at 11:50 AM….. and I have Showtime! Thanks for the suggestion, sounds like a good flick
ohiofire….. I think you’ve just proven your ignorance with that ridiculous analogy. Good job buddy
9 out of 10 people agree so far…. I would say that if you surveyed the entire country, the numbers would be similar
16 Comments
You should also watch the documentary called In Pot We Trust. I’ve always thought that legalizing marijuana would boost our economy.
Legalize it
I agree that it should be legalized just like alcohol with the same penalties for DUI as alcohol. Minors should be restricted as with alcohol.
It is insane that we allow alcohol to be sold but not pot. I personally don’t use it but I did when I was a kid so I know the effects. I would MUCH rather be around stoners than drunks. Drunks are just so annoying with the slurred speech or picking fights or just generally obnoxious. Stoners just tend to sit there and zone out on good music.
But we are a nation of hypocrites so we get what we get.
Great idea…..we’ve also spent countless millions on law enforcement to attempt to prevent murder, since it isnt working, shouldnt we just make murder legal and save the money?…….just because a law doesnt wipe something out doesnt mean you should just get rid of the law
I concur. Legalize it, then tax it!
Hell yeah it should be legalized.
I agree and to take that money , put it towards health care.
haha Ohio that arguement makes no sense. Marijauna causes harm to nobody else! would murder harm another human being? i dont believe that smokin a J every now and then does.Make it legal, most cops dont even agree w/ that law, they just HAVE TO enforce it
I do have to agree…I don’t understand why and how for so long they can make the most mild drug illegal…while allowing the worst…(alcohol)…I think they wouldn’t be able to use their war like tactics and go ambush some marijuana users, if they made it legal…What will all the Feds do?…It’s easier to find Pot than it is Cocaine or Pills…You can see and smell Pot…Take the xtra money and figure out how to get rid of the Meth heads…Now that’s a dangerous drug!
If we only look at the cost, then lets throw in Drunk Driver enforcements, Detective divisions wasting a lot of time looking for unknown bank robbers, Murderers, Gang shootings. Govt agents looking for Tax evaders. Highway patrolmen watching for Speeders (that one is pretty well done ). Government waste of time in the FDA, (All the poisons getting thru from Billy Fred Clinton’s Pal’s-China). I could come up with a list of all kinds of city, state and local Govt. waste of money from enforcing laws and regulations.
If we do that then everyone can watch out for their own safety and that of their own families. We could save tax dollars and not have such a big bite out of my wages for their stupid programs. But it may cost me more to provide my own protection….
On second thought….All these and YOUR suggestion is STUPID.
it should be legalized. you made so many good points, and theres a lot of good causes it can go towards. there should be age restrictions as with alchohol. im a daily user and i would rather give my money to the government and go towards something good, then some 19 year old kid that gets himself in more trouble with all his money
you should write a letter to someone of importance about that
Terry T, why are you so hostile towards legalizing marijuana?? Do you know why it was outlawed in the first place??? Have you ever seen a guy, high on weed, who killed his entire family?? I’ve heard of drunk people doing it. Caffeine is far worse drug than THC. A drop if nicotine k.ills a horse. But comparing legalizing marijuana to shutting down FDA is outright stupid. Sorry.
I agree with you 100%.
Unfortunately there are a lot of uninformed people who can’t
tell the difference between marijuana and hard drugs.
No politician would dare legalize it because it would be the
end of their career. The New Prohibition goes on,and will
continue until the public is educated. That could take a very long time.
Yes, it is well past time to end this costly, failed Prohibition that has ruined millions of lives.
Cannabis is a relatively benign, non-addictive, non-toxic herb with a documented history of use that stretches back thousands of years. It has been used successfully as a fiber for clothing, a foodstuff, a fuel, a medicine, a spiritual aid, and simply for relaxation and recreation.
No civilized nation makes war against a plant, especially one as useful as Cannabis. Get informed. Get active. We can change unjust and cruel laws.
Go here:
to see “In Pot we Trust”, anytime.
Wonderful…and mostly unbiased. The film shows both sides of the issue of medical marijuana.
In this country, we’re stuck between a rock and a hard place and the reason is the fact that far more cannabis is consumed for recreation than for medical reasons. It’s the recreational use that has everyone scared to death due to the enormity of lies that have been preached about the herb and the people who smoke it.
We are accused of being stupid, lazy and/or violent. Stupid because we don’t think the same as other folks when it comes to how we take our personal medicine or pleasure. Stupid because we don’t believe what we’ve been told since we’ve found first hand that it’s all lies. We are portrayed as violent at the same time we are portrayed as couch sitting lazy people who never get anything done. So which is it? Seems like if we’re that couch-locked we’re not gonna jump up and go beat someone up. Reported incidents of violence that involve cannabis somehow manage to avoid mentioning the fact that there is always another drug involved, alcohol being the number one offender.
Ok, I’m off on a tangent there, but yes, we are wasting billions of dollars on a war that cannot be won. A war that was begun with racism and continues with government issued propaganda. The only way to win this war is in truthful education and decriminalization. Can marijuana be abused? Absolutely. But I believe drug abuse is a health issue, not a criminal issue. Put those billions toward health care for all people, let them smoke their weed, for whatever reason. It’s supposed to be a free country. People should be free to do as they please as long as they harm no one else.
Namaste
“(r u high?)” you bet!
It must be the USA it is fond of war against any thing and every thing and in the process creates job for its unemployed citizens.