It's been discussed ad nauseum here and Barack said it wasn't an appropriate intiative to revive the economy. Nonetheless, as Jack Cafferty so often does (and endears himself to us even more), bluntly calls it as it is!
He offers his searing commentary here: War on Drugs
Jack cuts to the chase in analysis of the resources it take to combat this age-old human behavior. Cops, prosecutors, lawyers, judges, juries, prisons, probation, violence...all expended to stop us from doing something that we're probably genetically programmed to do.
Jack summarizes thusly:
What do you suppose the total price tag is for this failed war on drugs? One senior Harvard economist estimates we spend $44 billion a year fighting the war on drugs. He says if they were legal, governments would realize about $33 billion a year in tax revenue. Net swing of $77 billion. Could we use that money today for something else? You bet your ass we could. Plus the cartels would be out of business. Instantly. Goodbye crime and violence.
If drugs were legalized, we could empty out a lot of our prison cells. People will use this stuff whether it's legal or not. Just like they do booze. And you could make the argument that in some cases alcohol is just as dangerous as some drugs. I know.
Like I said ... something to think about. It's time.
Go read it. It's concise and to the point. I LOVE JACK CAFFERTY! Shouldn't that be a bumper sticker?