The legalizing, regulating and taxing of marijuana is one practical strategy for economic recovery during this time of the economic difficulties across the globe.

Even though marijuana is currently illegal, it is still widely available. As with any scarce commodity, the plants prohibition has simply raised its value on the black market. The illegality of the drug has in no way deterred smokers from obtaining it. The riskier the law makes it for growers and distributors to meet the demands of their market the more these illegal entrepreneurs charge their customers. Also, because of the limited law-enforcement resources marijuana producers and consumers continue about their business, barely inconvenienced.

Governments waste huge amounts of their country's resources, both financial and personnel in the on-going but futile war against the marijuana market. Resources that could be put to better use creating programs to assist the victims of domestic abuse, feeding and housing the poor and improving education and the health industry.

regardless of the laws, so why not take advantage of this fact and use it to ease the government's budgetary woes and simultaneously provide more jobs?