In addition, governments end up spending tremendous amounts of money, of taxpayer money, to "combat" it, and to lock up millions of people, most of whom were doing nothing wrong aside from smoking it or distributing it to friends.
But then again governments employ hundreds of thousands of people in many industries to keep the prohibition campaign going. Legalise drugs and you put countless thousands of barristers, policemen, prison officers, magistrates, etc out of work. Not to mention the entire web design team of "Talk to Frank" All these people pay taxes. I'm not sure whether the cost of prohibition outweighs the tax return and boost to the economy from the people employed in it.
I know in America using cheap prison slave labour to build roads etc keeps a lot of construction firms in business.
But then again governments employ hundreds of thousands of people in many industries to keep the prohibition campaign going. Legalise drugs and you put countless thousands of barristers, policemen, prison officers, magistrates, etc out of work. Not to mention the entire web design team of "Talk to Frank" All these people pay taxes. I'm not sure whether the cost of prohibition outweighs the tax return and boost to the economy from the people employed in it.
I know in America using cheap prison slave labour to build roads etc keeps a lot of construction firms in business.