Ever since the federal criminalization of marijuana in the United States in 1937, there has been a large underground drug market (Paul). Just as alcohol prohibition simply forced drinkers underground, those who chose to consume marijuana are forced to stay away from the prying eyes of the law due to current marijuana laws. This means that the world of drugs is hidden from the average citizen, hiding the dangers of drug deals gone wrong, police shootings, and other dangerous events. In a sense this allows the government to disguise the fact that its well-funded “War on Drugs” is ineffective, a “War” with a budget of about twenty billion dollars; which is not profoundly effective in curbing drug use (Jillette). If the average citizen doesn't know what's going on, in the eyes of the American zeitgeist, it's not happening. Criminalizing a harmless drug to reduce its use simply turns its users into criminals, increasing crime rates and clogging prisons with nonviolent criminals. Marijuana is less harmful than alcohol and tobacco, and laws related to it should reflect this. Legalizing marijuana would unlock the floodgates of free enterprise allowing capitalism to spawn marijuana distribution and manufacturing companies that will generate billions upon billions of dollars. Marijuana, if legalized, will almost certainly be taxed by the federal government, generating cash flow while keeping prices reasonable. The price of marijuana would also drop exponentially, because the dangers of smuggling and police raids would be eliminated. Legalized marijuana could probably also be grown legally, but would require some sort of permit or license to distribute. Just like any other...... middle of paper......0080205147/cannabis-news/marijuana-replaces-ritalin-in-treatment-for-add/adhd-video.html>.Jillette, Penn, and Teller “War on Drugs.” Penn & Teller: Bullshit! Dir.Christopher Poole. prod. Patti Duce. Show time. April 22, 2004.NORML. April 20, 2009Paul, Ron. “Ron Paul on Legalizing Marijuana.” Interview with Joy Behar. Larry King Live! CNN. March 9, 2009.Principe, Stella. In the pot we trust. Dir. Principe Stella. prod. Joshua E. Kessler. DVD. ShowtimeNetworks Inc., 2007. Rosenfeld, Irven. “Getting marijuana from the government.” Interview with Videojug.com. VideoJug.com. March 5, 2008. .Yurchey, Doug. "The Marijuana Conspiracy | www.tpuc.org." Home | www.tpuc.org.The united community of peoples. April 14. 2009 .