TIME FOR FLORIDA TO TALK ABOUT MARIJUANA LAWS

If there were a way for Florida to save tens of millions of dollars
annually, would you want to know about it? If more than a dozen other
states were already enjoying these cost savings and a more than a
dozen more were exploring ways to join them, would you want to know
what Florida is doing?

If Florida, in fact, were doing the exact opposite of more than half
the states in the country, would you want to know why?

We're guessing you answered yes to all of the above questions, but we
admit they were framed in a way that it would be hard to say no.

If you knew the questions involved marijuana laws, we suspect your
answers might change. That's understandable. Marijuana is illegal.

Many believe it is a dangerous "gateway" drug that leads its users to
use even more dangerous drugs and to commit crimes to support their
drug use.

We're not convinced past policy toward marijuana use has been
effective. Florida and its counties are spending far too much money
enforcing existing laws and incarcerating offenders.

At a time when state and county resources are scarce, Florida should
join other states in exploring its marijuana laws.

Decades of marijuana law reform across the country and stacks of
studies examining the impact of those reforms provide ample evidence
on which a reasoned, rational policy could be crafted.

Almost all the studies show relaxing marijuana laws does not lead to
increased use among any age group, a common red herring argument
against decriminalization.

Since 1996, 14 states have made marijuana legal for medical
purposes.

Fourteen other states are looking at changing their marijuana laws.
Those changes range from allowing medical marijuana to
decriminalization to "deprioritizing" marijuana enforcement.

The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that several states are
considering measures that would both legalize and tax marijuana.

In Florida, possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana is a
misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of $1,000 and up to one year in
prison, although first-time offenders rarely serve jail time and most
cases are diverted to drug courts.

Still, one of five inmates in Florida prisons are serving sentences
for drug offenses. The number of inmates in Florida prisons rose 22.4
percent over the last five years from 84,901 in June 2005 to 103,915
in January 2009, according to the Florida Department of Corrections.
The cost of building and operating those prisons surpassed $2.4
billion in 2008-09, a 26-percent increase since 2004-05.

A study presented to the Rhode Island Legislature last month found the
nation's smallest state would save $12.7 million a year by
decriminalizing marijuana possession. Rhode Island, which already
legalized medical marijuana, had a total prison population as of Jan.
1, 2010 of 3,674, more than 100,000 fewer than Florida.

The opportunity for substantial recurring savings is
obvious.

A Florida group called People United for Medical Marijuana has
launched a constitutional amendment petition drive that would put the
question of legalizing medical marijuana on the ballot. It fell far
short of the number of signatures needed to qualify for the Nov. 2010
ballot, but it's a good way to start the conversation.

At a time when Florida is embracing casinos and expanded gambling at
racetracks, it makes sense for the state to review its marijuana laws.