The war on marijuana is not a losing war; it is a lost war. It's time for anti-marijuana lobbyists to come over to the dark and foggy side, where the air is bong-flavored and the grass has five to seven distinct leaflets. Instead of having to cower in the shadows of the campus, college students should be able to openly bask in the pungent, potent pot smoke without fear of retribution. In other words, it's time to exchange petitions for pot and make peace, because the hard-fought war to prevent the recreational drug use of marijuana is becoming more and more fruitless. We should focus on the passage of a bill to legalize marijuana that could improve the economies of states by allowing them to tax the drug, a bill that would also unclog the judicial system overrun with superfluous and inane marijuana busts.

A group of ex-police officials, judges and prosecutors in California gathered to support the passage of an initiative that would do just that. Proposition 19 could potentially make California the first state to legalize marijuana for personal consumption for adults over 21 years of age. Why would upstanding public figures support the passage of a ballot that legally allows the recreational use of a drug? Because they agree that the police have better things to do than to arrest college students huddling in a circle outside their dorms and passing around a joint.

With a marijuana-related arrest occurring every 38 seconds, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, it's unsurprising that one out of every six federal inmates is imprisoned for a marijuana-related offense, making up 44 percent of all drug arrests in the country. The Drug Enforcement Administration has led this ineffectual fight against the "potheads" of America. FBI records show that out of the 1.6 million drug arrests in 2009, over 850,000 were for marijuana-related activities. However, these efforts are rendered void given the damage they are inflicting on our already crowded federal prisons and court systems. These marijuana arrests have perhaps cemented our country's position as the "biggest incarcerator on the planet." According to a study performed by Elizabeth Alexander for the American Civil Liberties Union, 25 percent of the prisoners in the world are currently locked up in America.

The manpower that was wasted to arrest these individuals that could have been utilized to try real cases with real criminals is unknowable. This is not to say that marijuana is solely to blame for the crowded prisons and backed-up judicial system, but these arrests certainly don't help the situation, either. The arrests are largely extraneous given the relative harmlessness of the drug in comparison to other illicit substances. While small amounts of cocaine or heroin can be fatal, marijuana alone will not kill a first-time user. Of course, marijuana is bad for you but if abused; but so is alcohol, which is legal. Yet, if monitored and regulated (and taxed), marijuana could provide an enjoyable high for citizens and a hefty paycheck for local and state governments.

The State Board of Equalization, the agency that controls tax collection in California, already collects close to $100 million per year in sales taxes for medicinal marijuana use. It is now gearing up to collect an estimated $1.3 billion more if Proposition 19 comes to fruition. The proposition would allow marijuana to be taxed like alcohol already is. Undoubtedly, states across the country could use that kind of money, given the slow economic recovery.

Interestingly, this bill is accompanied by numerous terms and conditions that are not unlike the rules police use to monitor the distribution and consumption of alcohol. There is a minimum age, a penalization for furnishing minors and the requirement of a license to sell. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 20,000 Americans die every year as the direct result of alcohol consumption, whereas an American has yet to die as a direct result of smoking marijuana. Considering marijuana is actually less dangerous than alcohol, why can't it be regulated in a similar manner to alcohol? The answer for most is that marijuana is thought to be worse because it's stigmatized as being a drug.

However, the Drug Enforcement Administration found that 90 percent of minors have described marijuana as being easier to obtain than alcohol despite the fact that marijuana is illegal and alcohol is legal for everyone over 21 years of age. Marijuana should arguably be more difficult to obtain because it's only legally accessible to those who need it for medicinal purposes. The law here clearly doesn't seem to make a difference. Therefore, the legalization of marijuana should actually make the usage of the drug easier to regulate because it would be sold in stores that police officials could monitor.

Proposition 19 has the ability to turn the waning war on marijuana around into a beneficial situation for the state, which can collect sales taxes and for the individual, who can enjoy recreational use of the drug without the worry of legal action. For many college students using marijuana and alcohol is part of the college experience. Though studies show alcohol is more dangerous and more addictive than marijuana, drinking has become an acceptable part of college life, whereas smoking marijuana continues to be frowned upon by many. However, if marijuana is legalized, it can be better monitored and regulated, and it can provide financial prosperity.