There simply is no real interest in D.C., or your local state capitol in stopping the flow, just that the right people control it.
You got it. We should legalize pot and be done with it. Doing so would cut a significant portion of the drug gangs incentive to protect their territory and would generate some much needed tax revenue.
I live in the Pacific NW area of the country. Many, many people partake of marijuana around here. I live in a very affluent suburb of Portland and I'm surprised how many people, once they have a drink or two in them, will own up to smoking pot once in a while. And these aren't blue collar types making 40k a year, these are business leaders and people who have a strong entrepreneurial drive.
Keeping pot illegal doesn't seem rational. Instead, it seems to be a way to punish people that the drug warriors don't like.