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Another Voice for Legalization

By Jeralyn

CNN's Jack Cafferty is the latest to jump on the legalization bandwagon, proclaiming the war on drugs an utter failure.

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 a*s we could. Plus the cartels would be out of business. Instantly. Goodbye crime and violence.

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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.

Cafferty makes another point:

How many hours of courtroom time are devoted to drug trials? How many judges, bailiffs, courtroom security officers, stenographers, etc., spend their time on drug trials?

How many prison cells are filled with drug offenders? And how many corrections officers does it take to guard them? How much food do these convicts consume?

He's right. I doubt the public has a clue as to the resources thrown at drug cases, particularly large-scale federal ones. The war on drugs is a complete disaster. Ending it should be a question of when, not if.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on March 31, 2009 (boomark / email).