In a time of recession, the government must do whatever they can to get our country out of debt as soon as possible. Seeing as how the United States is in debt over $13 trillion, drastic times call for drastic measures some may say. Marijuana is the United States’ largest cash crop but yet it is an illegal substance. Marijuana is considered a Schedule 1 drug, and this has been a highly controversial issue for decades. Marijuana legalization would not only lower the crime rate, but would also save the economy a lot of money that the government is spending on the drug war against marijuana legalization. If marijuana were legalized it would save the country $7.7 billion per year in state and federal expenditures on prohibition enforcement and would even produce tax revenues of at least $2.4 billion annually if marijuana was taxed like most consumer goods. However, if marijuana was taxed like tobacco or alcohol, it might produce as much as $6.2 billion annually. The states alone would be generating about $17 billion, therefore the combined projected total would be around $23 billion per year due to the legalization of marijuana. Not saying that this would end our countries debt, but it would be quite a start. If the government would legalize marijuana, they could not only tax people for it just like cigarettes, but also save a load of money. The drug war against marijuana is so big that since cannabis arrests constitute 44 percent of all drug apprehensions, the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) estimates that the government's war on pot smokers costs taxpayers $9.2 billion annually. So marijuana legalization would lower the drug crime rate by 44 percent and save the country billions of dollars. A substance that isn’t addictive, isn’t deadly, and is proven to be better for you than tobacco and alcohol, which are both legal, is still only legal for medicinal purposes in just 14 states.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003482836_marijuana18.html
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