Tuesday, October 02, 2007

CRIMINALIZING MARIJUANA COSTS TAXPAYERS $42 BILLION A YEAR

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MARIJUANA POLICY PROJECT - Marijuana prohibition costs taxpayers $41.8
billion every year in law enforcement expenses and revenues according to
a new report. Key findings from the report include:

- Marijuana arrests constitute 5.54 percent of all U.S. arrests, costing
taxpayers $10.7 billion.

- The total U.S. marijuana supply is 14,349 metric tons annually, with a
retail value of $113 billion.

- Marijuana prohibition diverts the entire $113 billion in sales from
the legal, taxed economy. Based on the White House Office of Management
and Budget's estimate that 28.7 percent of the U.S. gross domestic
product goes to federal, local, and state governments as tax revenue,
marijuana prohibition costs $31.1 billion in lost tax revenues annually.


http://www.MarijuanaPolicy.org

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