The FBI stats for 2010 contain some astonishing numbers regarding drug and marijuana possession.
From that report:
Total number of arrests in 2010 = 13,120,947
Arrests for drug abuse violations (est) = 1,638,846
Percent of total arrests that were drug violations = 12.5%
Percent of drug violations there were for marijuana possession = 45.8%
It is less than half, but 45.8% is still a significant portion. Marijuana could be one of the least harmful of the illegal drugs, and has the advantage of being non-addictive. And the arrest of so many people for that seems like a huge waste of resources. Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) thinks so. See One Drug Arrest Every 19 Seconds in the U.S. which makes the statement that the number of U.S. cities in which Mexican cartels operate has exploded from 230 to over 1,000 in two years. Via Carpe Diem.
So for any jurisdiction wanting to experiment with legalizing a drug, marijuana seems like a pretty good starting place.
The state of California tried in 2010 with Prop 19. But it didn't pass, and at least one commentator points out that the proposition contained too much extra baggage and speculates that sooner or later marijuana will be legalized.
Go for it, California. Show us whether it will work.
But what about the hard drugs, the ones that take over the lives of those addicted to them? Let's just hold off on those for now.
I think they should just use the resources somewhere else and legalize Marijuana to save cost. I haven't heard anyone die of marijuana anyway.(most I hear are from alcohol accidents).
Posted by: cigarette | January 06, 2012 at 01:46 AM