Marijuana is illigal not because of taxes or money, it is because of precident. By that I mean that it was once deamed as bad as cocaine, and the fact that today is considered a lesser narcotic is something that many politicians fight hard against... they want to see it outlawed even more. Marijuana, although containing more tar than nicotine, is actually less harful in the long run because weed contains MUCH fewer toxic substances (arcenic, carbon monoxide, radium-226, etc.), and is actually proving to have cancer-preventative qualities when consumed orally (brownies, etc.). Lets compare weed with another "drug" that the government deems legal:
1)
Alcohol: Every year thousands of people die from alcohol poisening or asphixiation of their own vomit directly caused by alcohol consumption.
THC (Weed): There has never been an overdoes or death directly caused by smoke inhalation of cannibus, and there never will be.
2)
Alcohol: Driving is impared but alcohol also effects judgement in a way that temps people do feel superior or "invincible." Alcohol also causes extreme loss of coordination and reaction time.
THC: Driving is impared also, however, judgement is not impared, actually the consiquences of an accident loom high (no pun intended) on cannibus smokers, and the majority of "high" individuals drive slower and more cautiously than they would sober.
3)
Alcohol: The US makes TONS of money off of this and they love it!
THC: The Government themselves discovered that cannibus is the fourth largest cash crop in the US, and would be first by far if the DEA didn't seaze about 30% of all marijuana grown nationally every year.
The bottom line is that marijuana is not bad, not bad all. As long as the average age of our Congressman is above 60, we can kiss any kind of fair legislation over this topic good-bye, its nice to know we have so many open minded people on these forums, but our opinion and the opinion of Americans everywhere means absolutely ball-sack to the POS people that run our country (I don't think they are all bad, just the VAST majority, and any good ones probably hop on the band wagon anyway).