What would the Federal, state, and local governments do with an extra $40 billion each year? That is the amount of money spent on the War on Drugs each year-$1,271 per second spent on law enforcement, incarceration, and interdiction. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), 1,356,307 people have been arrested for drug law offenses as of October 22, 2013, including over 850,000 for cannabis violations. Of the marijuana arrests over 89% are for possession only. That information begs the question, "Is the U.S. winning the war on drugs?" If it is not winning, then perhaps the Federal government needs to consider some changes starting with the legalization of marijuana. The argument for legalizing marijuana arises from some unexpected sources, including economists and law enforcement officers. Legalizing marijuana would free up law enforcement resources, save the government billions of dollars, generate billions more in tax revenue, and severely curtail violence associated with the illegal drug market ("Perils of Pot Prohibition" 2010).
The economic arguments for legalizing marijuana make sense. Since President Richard Nixon declared the War on Drugs 40 years ago, Federal, state, and local governments have spent hundreds of billions of dollars fighting drugs. Yet drugs continue to be available at a continuing demand (Martin 2009). Before Colorado legalized all marijuana use, the state had legalized the use of medical marijuana. At the time, it was the only regulated for-profit cannabis market. In 2012, sales to the 100,000 Colorado residents who had permission from their doctors to use marijuana reached $200 million. The sales were expected to generate tens of millions of dollars in local, state, and Federal taxes (Dokoupil 2012). With the legalization of marijuana for non-medical use, Colorado has approved an excise tax that is expected to raise $24.1 million in 2014.
