A79

        A group of 530 leading economists, assembled in 2005, determined the legalization of marijuana would save an estimated $10 - $14 billion annually ( ). Meanwhile, in a recent government survey, to scale, over 100 million Americans admitted to smoking marijuana ( ). This means that prohibition is failing and therefore wasting a substantial amount of liquid assets. Although the legalization movement’s progress is made by intelligent, logical individuals who are knowledgeable about both sides of the dispute, it is easy for anyone to understand why. History will repeat itself and prohibition will fail. It is fundamentally flawed and, so, change is needed. The legalization of marijuana is the solution to prohibition’s problems. Legalization will stop prohibition’s frivolous, fruitless, fiscal waste, eradicate the crime that prohibition helps flourish, and promote the personal freedom of every American.

        The legalization of marijuana would put an end to the constant waste of money due to prohibition. The $10 - $14 billion annual cost of prohibition is derived from the estimated $2.4 - 5.3 billion of potential tax revenue legalization could create, and the $7.7 billion spent enforcing prohibition. (7) Despite such large amount of funding, it has neither changed the supply, nor use of marijuana over the past 40 years in any fundamental way whatsoever. (5) The act of wasting is defined as a failure to use something wisely, properly, fully, or to good effect. $14 billion, at the average tuition cost of $26,000 a year, could pay tuition at private four-year colleges for roughly 540,000 students annually. Prohibition is the pinnacle of waste.

        The legalization of marijuana will see a reduction in crime. In Amsterdam’s red-light districts marijuana is completely legal. Coincidentally, crime in these areas is not a problem. In fact, “dealers [selling fake drugs] are the worst problem in the red-light districts.” (4) The commercialization of marijuana will be subsequent to its legalization and commercialization will take marijuana off the streets. A nonviolent atmosphere surrounds the drug exchange between friends, coworkers, and family members. (4) Theoretically, the same nonviolent atmosphere would accompany the commercialized sale of marijuana. But, currently, the easy money to be made on the streets breeds crime. A single grower, with a small operation, is able to make $20,000 tax free profit every two months. (8) Effort to stop drug trade increases profit and, consequently, its appeal to even more people. When profits are high enough the legality becomes less and less important. High profits bring normally law abiding citizens into lives of crime. First offense cultivation of any amount of marijuana is a felony in Virginia that carries the potential for 30 years in prison and a minimum of 5. An otherwise upstanding citizen after five years in prison could become a criminal for life. He or she would return from incarceration with any amount of criminal connections, connections that could mean a source of income when the felony on their record keeps them from getting a decent job. Legalization would mean harmless entrepreneurs growing marijuana would stay harmless entrepreneurs. Legalization could fill a niche in the fight against crime.

        Additionally, commercialization can deal a critical blow to organized crime. Marijuana is the backbone of organized crime. While a drug bust of harder drugs such as cocaine will mean the loss of both potential profit and a large amount of principal, a drug bust on marijuana will not cause the same loss of principal. (5)  The relatively low loss of principal in marijuana busts is because marijuana is grown by these organizations instead of being bought and resold like cocaine. This allows marijuana to absorb the costs of its own drug busts and all other drug busts together. The illegality of marijuana is what makes it profitable, so organized crime relies on both prohibition and decriminalization. Although prohibition is not as bad as decriminalization, which actually increases demand by, “[eliminating] the risk of buying [but keeping] the supply chain illegal,” it is still fuel for organized crime. (5) Mexican cartels, for example, make %50 to %65 of their income from marijuana. (5) But in the case of legalization corporations will take over the business. The cultivation of marijuana would undoubtedly become a large scale domestic process. Corporate marijuana would be both cheap and regulated and the consumer would follow. Organized crime would lose a primary source of income, which means a primary source of power.

        But all other benefits of legalization aside, prohibition’s encroachment on freedom is alone enough reason for legalization. One should have the freedom to do as they desire in their personal life as long as they do not harm, or infringe upon the rights of another. The responsible use of marijuana, like alcohol, does neither of these. It is nothing more than a simple pleasure enjoyed by many Americans. The irresponsible use of a substance, such as driving under the influence, is where the potential for harm is created, and so irresponsible use should be illegal, not use altogether. Prohibition is totalitarian and should have no place in the Home of the Free.