Originally Posted by BBQMan

Prohibition has not worked as far back as we can trace its use – even in the Garden of Eden. Eve just couldn’t resist that apple when it was the only thing forbidden to her. We know prohibition doesn’t work from our own experience growing up and raising our own children. Think of the number of things prohibited – cutting school, speeding, drag racing and even sex. You can expand the list to the extent your heart and memory allow.

Our ban on marijuana is causing this country immense amount of money, creating violence on a level never seen before in this country, ruining innocent lives and destroying our neighbor to the south, Mexico.

As a result of our prohibition, the United States has one of the highest rates of usage of marijuana in the world. Going Dutch: Teen Marijuana Use in the US vs. Netherlands — the Full Interview with Cal Professor Robert MacCoun | Legalization Nation

Perhaps we should learn from the Dutch and allow legal sale of marijuana to adults and legal cultivation of it in this country. We do much better with alcohol than we do with marijuana.

The potential positive effects of this are:
1 Lower usage of marijuana especially among young people.
2 Imprisonment of fewer people.
3 Reduced strain on law enforcement and the prison system.
4 Less exposure of people to other drugs.
5 Reduced income to street gangs and consequent lower ability to recruit new members and lower crime levels.
6 Drastic reduction of Mexican drug cartel income and influence.