Sweet Tea's evolution

Why are we so afraid of Marijuana?

According to NORML Marijuana is the third most popular
recreational drug in America (behind only alcohol and tobacco), and has been
used by nearly 100 million Americans. So why exactly are we spending so much
money fighting a losing battle against it? It is said that it is a dangerous
gateway drug but in reality it is a lot less dangerous than its legal counterpart’s
alcohol and tobacco. There is no way to overdose on Marijuana unlike alcohol
which accounts for about 100,000 deaths each year. This is small compared to
the 400,000 deaths caused by cigarettes. Marijuana is a naturally grown plant
which is a renewable resource and can benefit the Texas economy if grown and
taxed similarly to tobacco. 

The amount of money spent by taxpayers on the war on drugs is about 10 billion dollars by now. This is a ridiculous amount to be wasted especially during these difficult economic times. It also costs tax payers due to the amount of arrests because of marijuana possession or intent to sell. With The Texas and national budget in a state of crisis it is time to get creative to fix these problems. The amount of money saved plus added revenue from taxation will greatly benefit the programs in Texas that are facing cuts.

Money is one of the great benefits of legalization but making an already thriving market safer will be a large plus as well. If people do not have to go to shady drug dealers funded by the cartel it will help alleviate the threat that Mexican drug trade presents. Our economy is supply and demand and if we supply there will be a much smaller demand for illegal and therefore more dangerous supply of marijuana.  

All of these reasons will likely not be enough for Texans to put aside their goal of morality in favor of greater economic activity but it is something we should still consider.