A huge number of people are likely to drop alcohol completely. This terrifies alcohol companies and revenuers. From personal experience, very few people consume large quantities of both alcohol and pot. They simply do not go well together. There are also studies that show many people substitute pot for more dangerous drugs/alcohol: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2795734/
In any case, people who want to use pot always have and always will. Have you ever met ANYONE who doesn't use pot because of laws? They might avoid bringing it through an airport checkpoint but that's about it.
This is a plant that even children can grow and people are willing to pay $40 for a GRAM. It is literally easier than growing gold on trees. It is so easy to get and there is not a single person out there who doesn't use pot because of laws. The only reason people don't use it is personal preference so legalization will have almost no effect on actual use.
The profit will ALWAYS be there so taxpayers might as well benefit instead of giving it all to the underground. Right now 100% of the profit goes to criminals who use violence to do business. Prohibition ensures that no legitimate business or taxpayer will ever benefit. Instead of making dealers filthy rich, we can use the resources to improve society. You will also have ID checks and real established businesses that actually care about not selling to minors.
So the big danger is people switching from alcohol to pot? Stoned instead of drunk. That’s an improvement? Following your logic the laws against pot have not and do not stop anyone from smoking it,right? So we may as well make it legal and profit from the addictions/damage? What about coke,meth,heroin? All of those are used despite laws and a FORTUNE is spent on them. Better the government profit from all drugs? Meanwhile- tobacco-which only harms the users body and does not DOPE people up, is demonized. Users are shunned, no advertising, no cigarette machines. We must do what is BEST for people’s health(despite their choice to use it) re. tobacco, but not marijuana??
Will it be ok for businesses to forbid pot smoking? Can people sue for second-hand smoke damages?
All I know is ANYTHING that hampers brain activity is worse than what doesn’t, and the more the brain is affected the worse it is. Kids get turned into zombies with drugs for ‘hyperactivity’ and now we’ll give permission to the adults to be stoned and zoned out too.
Imagine society with stoned adults, drunk adults, zombified kids( because stoned adults will think anyone not stoned is ‘hyperactive’, and those not self-medicating will suffer the consequences.
So if profit is your best defense I expect you will encourage profiting from ALL currently illegal drugs to deprive dealers and druglords of the fortune? By that logic we should open euthanasia/suicide centers and charge those who want to REALLY self-destruct. If they want to die-might as well make’em happy AND make some money from it,eh?