ter conviction hovered just over $3 billion dollars. Total spending for war on pot for this year is estimated to reach $17 billion, an all time record (Schlosser 47). The punishments that a pot user may be subject to are also quite strong. These range from 10 to life in prison sentences that usually include huge fines. The future does not look any easier for people busted. Many representatives are motioning to make the sentences equal to those for possessing or selling cocaine or heroin. Rep. Newt Gingrich is pushing for mandatory life sentences or even the death penalty for anyone who possesses two ounces of the drug. Almost 500 federal benefits are denied to people convicted of pot use. These include small-business loans, professional licenses, public housing, and food stamps. A federally mandated program that currently exists in twenty states calls for the suspension of a persons driving license after any conviction involving marijuana regardless of where the person was caught (Schlosser 50). This means that a smoking a joint on the couch at home with the car parked safely in the drive way leads to a harsher punishment than a person arrested for drunk driving. Student loan eligibility is also revoked for a year or until that person completes drug rehabilitation. Three time offenders loose their eligibility forever while murderers and rapists never loose the chance to receive gov't money for their education (Schlosser 51)Political hypocrisy is another aspect of this issue that should be known. Many of the gov't officials who are die-hard against marijuana have pulled political favors to relieve people of the punishments they push for. Many of these people include the sons of these men. In 1982 the son of future Secretary of State James Baker II sold pot to an undercover cop on the family ranch. Instead of receiving 20 years in prison as state law prescribes, he was fined only $2,000 because of his father's influence. T...
