Prohibition also hurts the economy in terms of lost wages. (Photo: Getty)
May 23, 2019
The federal prohibition on marijuana has been a disaster. For decades, millions of Americans have been locked up and billions of dollars have been wasted. It's also deepened racial and economic inequality.
We must end this nonsensical prohibition.
The facts are staggering. In 2017, more Americans were arrested for marijuana possession than for murder, rape, aggravated assault and robbery combined.That's one marijuana arrest every minute.
The costs associated with enforcing this ban - including arrests, court costs, and incarceration - reach nearly $14 billion a year.
Prohibition also hurts the economy in terms of lost wages. And Americans with criminal records have a harder time finding a job and getting the education they need.
On the other hand, legalizing, taxing, and regulating is good for the economy and creates jobs.
By simply levying a tax on marijuana like we do cigarettes and alcohol, state and local governments could raise more than $6 billion a year.
By simply levying a tax on marijuana like we do cigarettes and alcohol, state and local governments could raise more than $6 billion a year. This doesn't even include additional revenue from taxes on the marijuana industry.
States like Colorado and Washington that tax and regulate marijuana have already generated millions of dollarsfor health care, education,and other public investments.
But this is more than an economic issue. It's also a matter of racial justice and equality.
The federal prohibition on marijuana dates back to anti-Mexican sentimentin the 1930s. In large part, it was nothing more than another way to criminalize communities of color.
Today, black and brown Americans are still much more likely to be arrested for marijuana than white Americans, despite using marijuana at similar rates.
Given the racist legacy of these laws, it's particularly important that the economic gains of legalization extend to communities that have been most harmed by the war on drugs.
Support for marijuana legalization has surged in recent years, with two-thirds of Americans now in favor of it. Even a majority of Republicans are in support, and more states are taking action to reform their laws and move toward legalization.
Yet Donald Trump and his administration are trying to turn back the clock. They've even formed a task force to weaken public support for legalization and help spread misinformation about so-called"marijuana threats."
Just as with the prohibition on alcohol in the 1920s, the federal prohibition of marijuana has been unnecessarily cruel - wasting billions of dollars, unjustly harming millions of lives, and furthering racist policies.
It's time to legalize marijuana.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.
Robert Reich
Robert Reich, is the Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and a senior fellow at the Blum Center for Developing Economies. He served as secretary of labor in the Clinton administration, for which Time magazine named him one of the 10 most effective cabinet secretaries of the twentieth century. His book include: "Aftershock" (2011), "The Work of Nations" (1992), "Beyond Outrage" (2012) and, "Saving Capitalism" (2016). He is also a founding editor of The American Prospect magazine, former chairman of Common Cause, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and co-creator of the award-winning documentary, "Inequality For All." Reich's newest book is "The Common Good" (2019). He's co-creator of the Netflix original documentary "Saving Capitalism," which is streaming now.
The federal prohibition on marijuana has been a disaster. For decades, millions of Americans have been locked up and billions of dollars have been wasted. It's also deepened racial and economic inequality.
We must end this nonsensical prohibition.
The facts are staggering. In 2017, more Americans were arrested for marijuana possession than for murder, rape, aggravated assault and robbery combined.That's one marijuana arrest every minute.
The costs associated with enforcing this ban - including arrests, court costs, and incarceration - reach nearly $14 billion a year.
Prohibition also hurts the economy in terms of lost wages. And Americans with criminal records have a harder time finding a job and getting the education they need.
On the other hand, legalizing, taxing, and regulating is good for the economy and creates jobs.
By simply levying a tax on marijuana like we do cigarettes and alcohol, state and local governments could raise more than $6 billion a year.
By simply levying a tax on marijuana like we do cigarettes and alcohol, state and local governments could raise more than $6 billion a year. This doesn't even include additional revenue from taxes on the marijuana industry.
States like Colorado and Washington that tax and regulate marijuana have already generated millions of dollarsfor health care, education,and other public investments.
But this is more than an economic issue. It's also a matter of racial justice and equality.
The federal prohibition on marijuana dates back to anti-Mexican sentimentin the 1930s. In large part, it was nothing more than another way to criminalize communities of color.
Today, black and brown Americans are still much more likely to be arrested for marijuana than white Americans, despite using marijuana at similar rates.
Given the racist legacy of these laws, it's particularly important that the economic gains of legalization extend to communities that have been most harmed by the war on drugs.
Support for marijuana legalization has surged in recent years, with two-thirds of Americans now in favor of it. Even a majority of Republicans are in support, and more states are taking action to reform their laws and move toward legalization.
Yet Donald Trump and his administration are trying to turn back the clock. They've even formed a task force to weaken public support for legalization and help spread misinformation about so-called"marijuana threats."
Just as with the prohibition on alcohol in the 1920s, the federal prohibition of marijuana has been unnecessarily cruel - wasting billions of dollars, unjustly harming millions of lives, and furthering racist policies.
It's time to legalize marijuana.
Robert Reich
Robert Reich, is the Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and a senior fellow at the Blum Center for Developing Economies. He served as secretary of labor in the Clinton administration, for which Time magazine named him one of the 10 most effective cabinet secretaries of the twentieth century. His book include: "Aftershock" (2011), "The Work of Nations" (1992), "Beyond Outrage" (2012) and, "Saving Capitalism" (2016). He is also a founding editor of The American Prospect magazine, former chairman of Common Cause, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and co-creator of the award-winning documentary, "Inequality For All." Reich's newest book is "The Common Good" (2019). He's co-creator of the Netflix original documentary "Saving Capitalism," which is streaming now.
The federal prohibition on marijuana has been a disaster. For decades, millions of Americans have been locked up and billions of dollars have been wasted. It's also deepened racial and economic inequality.
We must end this nonsensical prohibition.
The facts are staggering. In 2017, more Americans were arrested for marijuana possession than for murder, rape, aggravated assault and robbery combined.That's one marijuana arrest every minute.
The costs associated with enforcing this ban - including arrests, court costs, and incarceration - reach nearly $14 billion a year.
Prohibition also hurts the economy in terms of lost wages. And Americans with criminal records have a harder time finding a job and getting the education they need.
On the other hand, legalizing, taxing, and regulating is good for the economy and creates jobs.
By simply levying a tax on marijuana like we do cigarettes and alcohol, state and local governments could raise more than $6 billion a year.
By simply levying a tax on marijuana like we do cigarettes and alcohol, state and local governments could raise more than $6 billion a year. This doesn't even include additional revenue from taxes on the marijuana industry.
States like Colorado and Washington that tax and regulate marijuana have already generated millions of dollarsfor health care, education,and other public investments.
But this is more than an economic issue. It's also a matter of racial justice and equality.
The federal prohibition on marijuana dates back to anti-Mexican sentimentin the 1930s. In large part, it was nothing more than another way to criminalize communities of color.
Today, black and brown Americans are still much more likely to be arrested for marijuana than white Americans, despite using marijuana at similar rates.
Given the racist legacy of these laws, it's particularly important that the economic gains of legalization extend to communities that have been most harmed by the war on drugs.
Support for marijuana legalization has surged in recent years, with two-thirds of Americans now in favor of it. Even a majority of Republicans are in support, and more states are taking action to reform their laws and move toward legalization.
Yet Donald Trump and his administration are trying to turn back the clock. They've even formed a task force to weaken public support for legalization and help spread misinformation about so-called"marijuana threats."
Just as with the prohibition on alcohol in the 1920s, the federal prohibition of marijuana has been unnecessarily cruel - wasting billions of dollars, unjustly harming millions of lives, and furthering racist policies.
It's time to legalize marijuana.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.