I was talking with a right wing family member about the amount of money spent by the government, and the conversation turned to ways to save within what we are already doing, and we got on the topic of incarceration. I was arguing we could save money by legalizing marijuana possession (how much? That we didn't discuss). Follow after the jump for ideas that I had
First, I think they should legalize possession and pick an amount that is considered reasonable. Anyone who was in jail for having that amount or smaller would be let out, and have that removed from their criminal record. People in for possessing more then decided on, people arrested for selling, and people arrested for trafficking would all remain in prison since those would still be illegal. This would improve incarceration rates, court volume, and police time spent on this that could be spent on other things.
Second, since it is now legal, the federal government/state governments could set up marijuana dispensaries. Rules could be similiar to buying alcohol, and all DUI laws would now apply to pot as well as liquor. This would allow them to also make sure the product is high quality, and they would be a safe and legal supplier. I guess they could even be where you would have to get medicinal marijuana, but I don't know how that would work with insurance.
Third, all money earned off of this venture should only be used to supplement Medicare costs if sold by the federal government, or Medicaid costs if sold by state governments.
I could see this whole thing being a rather simple bill, and earn support from both sides. For left and right, it is an additional source of revenue without raising taxes. For the left it helps keep the incarceration rate (especially among the poor) down. For the right, it would be one less thing the government bothers people about.
Suggestions? Ideas? Should I spend time drafting mock legislation to test my theory it would be an easy bill to write?