Should our economy go to pot?

For the first time since 2001, FBI data has found that murders, robberies and aggravated assaults have increased in the United States. Many feel the increase in crime is a reflection of the nation's complacency in fighting crime and budgets for law enforcement are being slashed.

Well, I have a suggestion, one that I am sure will not be a popular one. It is time to legalize marijuana. Those who know me personally are probably having a heart attack at reading that last sentence but I feel something has to be done because let's face it folks, we aren't winning the war on drugs.

Let me begin by saying that I don't condone the use of marijuana and have never personally used it myself. But anyone who has been to a rock concert, and I have, can't say they haven't inhaled.

One fact we can't deny is that people of all ages use marijuana. A Time/CNN poll conducted in 2002 concluded that 47 percent of the population had tried marijuana at least once and a survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2004 found that about 14.5 million people use marijuana monthly. Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that more U.S. high school students currently smoke marijuana than smoke cigarettes.

According to FBI crime reports, there have been over seven million marijuana arrests in the United States since 1995, more than all violent crimes combined and about 89 percent of the arrests are for possession -- not manufacture or distribution.

I think we are wasting our law enforcement resources and a great economic opportunity. By legalizing marijuana and putting a tax on it, we can free up law enforcement to go after those who commit the murders, assaults and rapes and improve our economy at the same time.

Jeffrey Miron has estimated that replacing marijuana prohibition with a system of taxation and regulation would save between $10-14 billion per year in reduced government spending and increased tax revenues. Now Miron is a lot smarter than I am, with him being an economist from Harvard University, so I will trust his math, but I think it could be more.

Think about it. If you legalize marijuana, regulate and tax it you can make a lot of money on different fronts. If more people were able to use marijuana, then more people are going to get the munchies. That means more people buying potato chips or other food items, like for instance, chocolate for "special brownies." This will in turn help farmers along with importers and exporters and the economy improves. Not to mention that hemp has an estimated 50,000 non-drug commercial uses including paper, textiles, food and sealants as well as, wait for it, FUEL. Of course these uses are also banned by existing laws.

Some of the money that is generated from the taxes can be put into law enforcement to help fight crime that is a little more serious. I don't know about you, but if I was murdered I wouldn't want the police arresting somebody for smoking weed when my killer was still free.

Not to mention the jail space that might be available so some of these dopes who need to be in jail aren't released early. It is estimated that currently 100,000 Americans are currently behind bars for a marijuana offense of some sort.

In this age of crime, poor economy and high fuel costs, why not try something that might seem a little radical. Maybe our politicians should sit down, pass around a joint and get a little creative because it is something our country is certainly in need of.