Alcohol is legal and regulated. Its use is our nationβs No. 3 cause of preventable death, behind diet related illness. Alcohol use costs our country at least $185 billion annually β which is also roughly 10 times the amount of money our state and federal governments collect from todayβs taxes on the substance (HHS)
Marijuana: According to the 2010 National Study on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) β’ Marijuana accounted for 4.5 million of the estimated 7.1 million Americans dependent on or abusing illicit drugs β’ In 2009, approximately 18 percent of people aged 12 and older entering drug abuse treatment programs reported marijuana as their primary drug of abuse β’ 61 percent of persons under 15 reported marijuana as their primary drug of abuse