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Originally Posted by manaboutown
Since I have seen the effects is has on users over the years I do not support its legalization.
Follow the money.
Who and what entities lobbied through its legalization?
Who/what entities stand to benefit?
States will tax it so stand to gain although they (taxpayers) will bear some of the costs of pot use.
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Following the money to see who benefitted from its criminalization in the first place might be illuminating. From Wikipedia:
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Newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst's empire of newspapers used the "yellow journalism" pioneered by Hearst to demonize the cannabis plant and spread a public perception that there were connections between cannabis and violent crime. Several scholars argue that the goal was to destroy the hemp industry, largely as an effort of Hearst, Andrew Mellon and the Du Pont family They argue that with the invention of the decorticator hemp became a very cheap substitute for the wood pulp that was used in the newspaper industry. However, Hearst newspapers owed large debts to Canadian suppliers of paper, who used wood as raw material. If an alternative raw material for paper had emerged, it would have lowered the price of the paper needed to print Hearst's many newspapers—a positive thing for Hearst.
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Another reason is that it was to demonize immigrating Mexicans for whom cannabis use was a long cultural tradition. The racists scared people into thinking that dark-skinned drug fiends would murder and rape white women. Hmm. Murders and rapists. Where have I heard that before?
And the main reason why it is not legal now is because drug gangs, industrial prisons, and pharmaceutical companies don't want that. And, they have lots of money to lobby against legalization.