An economic argument against marijuana? Interesting..
The war on drugs in the US I think we can both agree has had no significant effect on the amount of marijuana use in the US. If you want an example of how misguided Reagan's anti-weed efforts were, consider this quote:
“I now have absolute proof that smoking even one marijuana cigarette is equal in brain damage to being on Bikini Island during an H-bomb blast.” - Reagan
Clearly that's not the case since no one has died of marijuana and physicians have not seen any evidence of marijuana killing brain cells ( quite the opposite, cannabis has been shown to effectively combat brain tumors)
But to get back on the economic argument, the US has spent over 15 billion this year alone trying unsuccessfully to keep weed off the streets. This number is astronomic, especially considering we're only in late June now. When you consider the total amount spent on the drug war the number is easily in the trillions. Think of how much better this money could have been spent if we put it towards proper drug education, not propaganda. And just so we're clear I don't think people should smoke weed, just like I don't think people should drink alcohol or smoke tobacco, all of which have negative effects on your health ( marijuana having the least effect admittedly)
On the flip side, how much money would the government Gain if it were to legalize and regulate cannabis as it does alcohol and cigarettes. The answer is A LOT! Current democrat plans to legalize and regulate weed propose taxing cannabis at $50 an ounce which translates to billions in collective revenue.
So the economic argument is bunk.
And it is not the states job to curtail freedom. It's job is to represent and act in the best interests of the people.
