2. Personal possession is a meaningless definition. It means what they were caught with. If they had more money would they have more pot? If they could make money at it would they be dealers? After all, they chose to break the law, now we are talking about scale.
3. The biggest assumption you are making is that other than pot, they are law abiding citizens. Who says? How many people in those stats have other convictions? They have already decided they don't have to obey the law. Being a criminal you violate more than one law by nature.
If you legalize pot, does that mean they won't be burglars, forgers, thieves, welfare scammers etc.? Al Capone was convicted of tax evasion. Was that all he was into? My point is that to take the number alone it means nothing.
Example: The civil rights people decry that the majority of those incarcerated are black. They take the number alone, like you do for pot, to push their preconceived notions of how things are. The civil rights people don't figure in that the majority of the victims of those incarcerated are also black. You don't take into consideration that the people incarcerated more than likely have other activity that would also land them in jail. Do you have any stats for first time offenders incarcerated with no other history? If you do, then that would lend weight to your argument.
4. As for the cost, I doubt your number is anywhere close to accurate. Most cases never go to trial and are pled. Most times court costs are attached to fines. Therefore your extrapolated number is without foundation.
5. Your final assumption on savings, having been discounted, we can turn to the legalization question. It won't reduce enforcement costs at all. In fact, it will raise them exponentially. The basis for this is alcohol. It's legal, yet most of the personal crimes, DUI’s, person crimes, etc. are alcohol fueled. You are simply expanding the legal drugs out there, adding to the problems.
That being said, I don't really care if you do. But don't base the reason on specious facts. At one time just about everything was legal. Go ahead and do it again....with the provision that if you do, then you release the taxpayer from all financial responsibility for your medical care and actions. Also, law enforcement has civil liability protection from use of force issues when dealing with someone under the influence.
Give me those two points and legalize all you want. Then watch as society reels around you and peoples lives are destroyed. Personal freedom should come with personal responsibility.
Finally, using my crystal ball, the numbers of people in prison won't shrink a bit. Criminals are about lack of respect for other people and society. That isn't going to change with their choice of drug.
You’re just flat out wrong.
As far as the numbers, I’m going off what was on Glen Beck’s show Wednesday.
Now, as far as the dollars because it’s being pled down? I’m adding in court costs, incarceration costs, enforcement costs and estimating based on an average that it’s about $50,000 for an 18 month average sentance.
Sorry if I don’t have the exact numbers in front of me, but I’m giving you as close to an approximation as I can. Do you think given the police, court, jailers time/cost, that it would be $30,000? $40,000? I was giving a fairly reasonable estimate given all the factors.
I believe personal responsibility is also key.
I do not believe it would be the ruination of our country. They said the same thing about alcohol. Look where it got us.