Fewer Minor Offenders in Jails

• Those in favor of drug legalization state that jails are filled with non-violent "criminals" whose only crime was possession of soft drugs such as marijuana. Some $68 billion is spent in the United States on corrections, and one-third of those in jail and prisons were arrested for non-violent drug crimes. Almost $75 billion in policing and the court system goes toward for marijuana-related cases. Advocates of legalization say a disproportionate amount of money is being spent policing and locking up petty drug users, and that money could be better spent elsewhere.
  
  

More Acceptability of Using Harmful Drugs

• Those against legalizing drugs state that legalizing vices does not create a more virtuous society. Legalized gambling is cited as an example that tends to concentrate vices in one area, leading to an increase in prostitution and other vices, they say. The acceptance of drug use into the mainstream culture could result in wider proliferation of drugs that used to be illegal, as well as giving the false idea to the public that drug use is harmless. Teens and children would find it easier to obtain drugs, with potential physical and mental harm. In Nederlands, Colo., where medical marijuana is legal, there is one medical marijuana depot for every 175 residents, and one in 20 qualifies for medical marijuana. Ron Hyman, the state's registrar of vital statistics and director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment's medical marijuana program, suggests that the legalization of marijuana for medical use proliferates its use by those who have no medical need for it.
  
  

Government Tax Revenue

• If illegal drugs were legalized, taxation would be an advantageous way for governments to tap into the drug economy, resulting in economic benefits for states, according to advocates. In California, as an example, marijuana is the largest cash crop, worth an estimated almost $14 billion annually. Taxes on marijuana alone could yield billions for the state.
  
  

Money Drain from Health Problems

• A study by the Rand Corp., a non-profit research firm, states that legalizing marijuana would "almost certainly" lead to increase in use and a decrease in cost to the user. Increased health risks would be likely, and this has the potential for an economic drain on state and federal health programs. Drug use, including that of marijuana, can be addictive and can lead to problems in education, work and relationships. Drug intoxication, including marijuana, leads to memory loss and impairs learning, states the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Drug rehabilitation is a costly process.