“If you could be convinced that, if marijuana was legalized, the number of underage marijuana users would at least double, maybe triple, would you still want it legalized?”
It *couldn’t* triple...already more than 33% of ‘underage’ people try it.
THAT is how effective your multi-hundred-BILLION dollar ‘war on some drugs’ is. Impressive, eh? (Not to mention the fact that prohibition is both fueling crime and funneling BILLIONs more dollars offshore.)
The costs of keeping it illegal are simply unacceptable, both in treasure and lost human potential. If it were legalized the ‘forbidden fruit’ allure would vanish. Check the statistics in the Netherlands, where it’s legal - the sky hasn’t fallen there.
I didn't say "try it". I said use it. As in monthly.
In 2005, the percentage of those 12-17 that used marijuana in the last month was 6.8%. I'm asking if you would be concerned if that number jumped to 14 or 21% with legalization?
"As part of President Bush's $2.77 trillion budget plan for FY 2007, $12.7 billion is allocated for the federal government's drug control program - an increase of $109 million over FY 2006's funding level for these efforts, including the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)."
"Demand reduction programs, such as drug treatment and prevention programs, aimed at discouraging use of illegal substances and aiding existing users in stopping their usage, represent approximately 36 percent of the request."
$12.7 billion represents less than one-half of one percent of the federal budget. It's a rounding error.