In early 2009, a member of the California Assembly introduced
a bill that would have legalized marijuana in an effort to raise tax
revenue and reduce prison costs. While the bill's proponent withdrew
the bill, he vowed to renew his efforts in the next term. Other
prominent California officials, including Governor Schwarzenegger,
have indicated their willingness to study legalization in light of
California's budget shortfall. For the first time in over thirty years,
politicians are giving serious consideration to a proposal to legalize
marijuana. But already, the public debate has degenerated into
traditional passionate advocacy, with ardent prohibitionists raising
the specter of doom, and marijuana advocates promising billions of
dollars in tax revenues and reduced prison costs. Rather than
rehashing the old debate about legalizing marijuana, this Essay offers
a balanced view of the proposal to legalize marijuana, specifically as
a measure to raise revenue and to reduce prison costs. It raises some
of the central problems with proponents' arguments, including how
their goal of reducing prison costs effectively undercuts their goal of
raising revenue. Additionally, it challenges extravagant claims of the
prohibitionists that legalizing marijuana will lead to significant increases in marijuana use and attendant social harm. In the end, the author offers a mild endorsement for legalization.
