Cost Clock

http://www.drugsense.org/wodclock.htm

This web site provides a real time clock for viewing the money spent on drugs nationally by both the federal and state governments combined. In April, approximately a third of the way through the calendar year, the spending has already roughly reached $14 billion.
Why? What for?
The government funds the DEA and other such enforcement programs, along with equipping a border patrol to fight against illegal drug imports, and in an indirect way, to fund convicts who have been arrested for drug violations. By the end of the year, roughly $50 billion will be spent to regulate drug imports, sales, and punishments. In light of a $13 TRILLION national debt, I think the drug money could be put to better use. Perhaps supporting Obamacare...
But, here's the real kicker, all the money spent, isn't even close to the potential profit. Let's say the government cut it's spending on drugs by 75%, and now they spend $12.5 billion. Now, hypothetically let's say that 100 million people (a third of the country) spend $35 a year on drugs. That alone is $3.5 billion right there, and that's likely a far underestimate.
The main point is, if the government decided that resistance to drugs is seemingly futile, they could embrace the economic positives. It is almost insane to use taxpayers' money to pay for the meal of an addicted inmate. What about the neglected meal of an impoverished child?
Essentially, our government is spending billions of dollars it simply doesn't have, on a problem that simply won't go away. The potential for that money elsewhere is endless, and the affect on the crime rate from the legalization of illegal drugs would be substantial. So, it all begs the question: Is it worth it?