Stimulus package

Okay, okay... so I've been on a crazy kick this past week or so about drugs, and the sad news is I'm still not over it. At least not as marijuana is concerned.

If the government wants to stimulate the economy then we need a "new" industry to replace all the jobs that have been decimated. Legalize marijuana, but carefully regulate it.

Hundreds of thousands could be employed from the growers (who have to purchase licenses and pay taxes besides the fact they will need seeds, fertilizer, and employ harvesters), producers who turn the raw plant into a usable product (who will need licenses and will be taxed, besides the fact they will need buildings and equipment to make the products and workers to manage and maintain the machines, manage inventory, quality control, sales, marketing, accounting...etc.,) and finally the point of sales locations such as "coffee houses" or tobacco stores (ditto on licenses, taxes and employees).

Why should drug traffickers get the hundreds of millions of dollars illegally, which the launder and promptly smuggle out of the country?

Gate way drug? Health issues? People are responsible for themselves. Governments cannot regulate stupidity (cigarettes and alcohol) nor should the government be expected to protect us from ourselves. Stop putting people in jail for marijuana and clogging our legal system. Drop all the chargers specific to marijuana use, trafficking, and growing (obviously if they were other narcotics of cocaine drug involved then those charges remain).

NOW, and here is the important part, the average amount of money budgeted specifically for the past three years on law enforcement and incarceration of marijuana related offenses should immediately be transfered WITHIN the police and detention facilities to other programs... namely officers pension and health care funds, better and newer police equipment, maintenance of facilities and better funding PREVENTION programs. We're already budgeting the money, lets not just turn if off, but keep it going to the police, but in other areas so they can serve and protect against violent crimes and injustices.

Millions will be put to work, many other businesses will indirectly benefit (most notably the fast food "munchie" establishments) as well as agriculture, marketing and advertising, accounting, and legal (never can have enough lawyers).

But what do I know? Any thoughts?