Jericho: Legalize it already!

Let's be clear here: I have never smoked pot. I've had plenty of opportunities, but have never indulged. So, you cannot dismiss what I am about to say as the words of some "pot-head" - I'm not one. I've never done any illegal drugs. I don't smoke and I don't drink. I'd rather stay sharp, thanks.

However, we live in a society where there are plenty of intoxicants. Alcohol and cigarettes being but just a few. Cigarettes? I've had two or three of those - twist my head up every time I have one. Darned addictive those things. Alcohol is quite addictive, too. Both of these drugs are destructive to the body. Yet, marijuana is not physically addictive. It is indeed an intoxicant, but no more or less than booze. You do get more tar in your lungs per volume, but even the most advanced user wouldn't (couldn't without over dosing?) smoke six to ten joints a day - the equivalent of a pack of cigarettes.

To this day I cannot understand why pot smoking is illegal. There is no logical basis to the law. I've heard it blamed on news paper moguls, I've heard it blamed on politicians and I've heard it to have a racial bias. Whatever the case, there is no logical argument for why it is illegal and alcohol is not.

In the video above, it is claimed that the state of California could save a billion dollars a year on law enforcement, raise 1.3 billion in taxes and cripple the Mexican and other drug cartels all by legalizing and taxing marijuana. For those that can't do that math, that's 2.3 billion dollars back in the hands of just one (large) state. Ya know, a billion here and a billion there, eventually you are talking about some real money. In turn, Califonia would see, at worst, a 40% uptick in use.

So let's think about this. $2.3 billion dollars into the Californian system. Some of the 1.3 from taxes could be used for drug education and treatment, which seems to be part of this proposal. Cops could now go about the business of busting real bad guys. Prisons would slowly empty as we stopped arresting people for pot use and sale. Yes, usage would increase, but, frankly, would it matter? If you have 10,000 people who drink alcohol today and 14,000 people that drink tomorrow, would you say that's an odd thing? That's a 40% increase! Who cares?

Of course the police are concerned. They see losing a billion dollars from their budget. They see easy busts going out the window. No more "We found ten billion dollars of pot in this guy's garage. Of course, he couldn't be bothered to get off the couch he was so stoned!" And, if the police are so concerned that there are too many intoxicants, why are they not out campaigning against alcohol? What? And give up their own favorite intoxicant? Total hypocrisy!

I've been saying for twenty years that it's ridiculous that this drug is illegal. Can we as a country finally begin to pull our collective heads out of our collective asses and do the right thing for once?

Considering the current backlash against cigarette smoking in this country, perhaps President Obama should look to his own drug of choice. The American Tobacco industry should get their lobbies behind this as well - no one is better suited than Big Tobacco exploit this change. It might save that industry and those jobs.