i doubt were gonna have cannabis legalized in the u.s., do you know what that would mean? think of how much money they goverment would loose not giving ppl tickets and how cops we wont have out there trying to bust ppl for weed. also what would be the point of having a drug dealer or being a drug dealer where there is no money involved. it would be like selling oranges in the corner with who know how many other ppl in other corners at the same time cops just watching and not doing anything about it.
The government makes 14-15 billion off alcohol and tobacco (US). It cost's more for any government to prohibit a substance than to legalize, tax, and regulate. I know in Canada they spend 400 million on reinforcing the marijuana laws, and the budget for all the drug laws(including marijuana) is 500 million. I also read that without the prohibition of marijuana, the US would not have a justification for the DEA, and DEA's budget is fucking massive. It definitely cost the taxpayers more to reinforce marijuana laws.
To address the the second part of your post, that is exactly why prohibtion does not work. You hit the nail right on the head, what would be the point of being a drug dealer. If marijuana were to be legalized and given the same treatment as alcohol and tabacco, organized crime would take a massive hit, just like the mafia took a massive hit when alcohol prohibition ended. When there is such a high demand for pot (which there is), and it is illegal, the only people who truly benifit are individuals invovled in organized crime. It's a steady flow of income, and the product (which market value increases in areas were there are tougher laws) is worth more ounce for ounce than gold. It almost becomes silly cause there is nothing you can do, you cannot stop people from smoking what they want, just like you couldnt stop people from drinking what they want back in the 20's and 30's. It just makes sense to legalize it, especially when it is less addictive than coffee, has 0 recorded deaths through out it's long history, and has several health benifits (not to mention hemp has numerous benifits to mankind as well in terms of paper, biofuels, clothing material, being the strongest natural fibre ect...) but I digress.......one day.....one day.....
