If pot were legalized, millions of dollars would be freed to enhance educational programs focused on keeping students off more dangerous drugs. Marijuana, unlike most of its companion illegal substances, is not addictive. The health consequences associated with smoking the drug are the same as those smokers of legal nicotine cigarettes incur - negating the argument that pot poses a significant health risk. In fact, the drug does considerably less damage to the body than does alcohol, a legal and more socially accepted chemical. The government spends millions of dollars annually to incarcerate marijuana law offenders.
Someone is arrested for possession of a cannabis substance almost every minute.
These huge expenditures remove money from other important social programs that could use the funds, such as drug education programs. Present programs put an equal emphasis on all drugs - telling children that substances as diverse as cocaine, heroin, marijuana and LSD all have the same effects and consequences. But marijuana has none of the other drugs' addictive qualities and is not associated with overdose deaths. In fact, marijuana proved itself useful in the medical setting. Arizona and California voters approved the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes more than a year ago.