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Today’s charts
Tuesday, Mar 15, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller * The National Alliance on Mental Illness released a study this week showing that Illinois was in the top ten for mental health cuts in Fiscal Years 2009-2011…  * Click the pic for a larger version of this chart…  That would be 850,000 marijuana arrests in 2007. Discuss.
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- frustrated GOP - Tuesday, Mar 15, 11 @ 8:55 am:
The last large cuts in mental health spending was in the 70’s. Cities like elgin had a huge increase in homeless in the downtown. This at the same time as the opening of a regional mall several miles away helped empty the downtown. I understand the need for cuts, but has anyone in this govt. looked at the impact there will be?
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Mar 15, 11 @ 9:13 am:
–That would be 850,000 marijuana arrests in 2007.–
That number skews a little high, as Willie Nelson was on extended tour in 2007.
Seriously, a few sobering facts from the report:
–Using the same method of calculation used by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, marijuana arrests cost state and local governments $10.3 billion in 2006.–
–In California, decriminalization of marijuana possession saved taxpayers $857 million in 2006 (details in the California state report).–
–While the marijuana-use rate for African-Americans is only about 25% greater than for whites, the marijuana possession arrest rate for blacks is 300% greater. This is not a regional disparity, but is seen in every state and most counties.–
Cops and courts have a lot bigger fish to fry than marijuana use. Time to grow up, America.
- zatoichi - Tuesday, Mar 15, 11 @ 9:24 am:
So smoking pot has a 1 in 30 chance of being arrested. Once arrested what happens? 5 years in jail or a fine. I seem to know a lot of former pot smokers who now have some pretty responsible jobs (school sups, GA members, physicians, judges, CEOs) who never were arrested. Must be a lot of repeaters to hit those numbers. Overall seems like a huge waste of resources.
Cutting those mental health dollars looks great on the Excel spreadsheet. Makes for a “I am serious about making tough decisions” headline. Does absolutely nothing for the people receiving the services. They simply pop up in the system somewhere else. Cutting 15% of funding does not cut 15% of the people. They move from a DHS paid group home to a Medicaid paid nursing home at 4-5 times the cost or go homeless. Excellent choice.
- Tom Smith - Tuesday, Mar 15, 11 @ 9:32 am:
Make it legal and tax it. It makes me sad that we will have to cut spending on mental health.
- amalia - Tuesday, Mar 15, 11 @ 10:24 am:
going to the source, the UCR reports, it’s interesting to note that the Midwest has a higher percentage of arrests for possession of marijuana than possession of other drugs than any other region in the country. yes, higher than the South! I still wonder about whether the charges are attached to other crimes, even if not other drug crimes, but in these fiscally challenged times, legalize it and tax it!
- Peter Snarker - Tuesday, Mar 15, 11 @ 10:45 am:
Pot arrests and the criminal justice system is a big business with a big constituency. Law enforcement, judges, jails, ordered rehab centers and counselors, etc etc.
I think it’s pretty obvious, to me anyway, that this isnt *really* about marijuana, or, at least, solely about marijuana.
If Ike warned of the “military-industrial complex” I think I would extend that to the “criminal-justice marijuana complex”.
The numbers alone indicated in this survey indicate the sheer amount of resources throughout the “system” that must be dumped into the continuing criminalization of marijuana.
- Way Way Down Here - Tuesday, Mar 15, 11 @ 11:31 am:
Huge waste of resources. Legalize and tax. And we dig prisons down here.
- JustaJoe - Tuesday, Mar 15, 11 @ 11:51 am:
The first chart doesn’t mean much because it does not consider where the levels were, per capita. The second chart shows that the herd is heading generally north.
- Ghost - Tuesday, Mar 15, 11 @ 11:58 am:
A while back Rich floated a discussion about using a fine system instead of arrests for small amounts of Marijuana. The chart on arrests suggests you could save some money not having to go through the expense of the arrest and actually generate some revenue from fines/tickets.
Then again, we should leaglize it the way we did the numbers racket and alcohol so it can be regualted and taxed instead.
- Small Town Liberal - Tuesday, Mar 15, 11 @ 12:41 pm:
- I seem to know a lot of former pot smokers who now have some pretty responsible jobs -
I know some current pot smokers who have some pretty responsible jobs. Time to legalize it, I’m sick of my tax dollars being wasted fighting an imaginary problem.
- ah-HA - Tuesday, Mar 15, 11 @ 1:33 pm:
NO WAY MAN!!! THAT’S A CONSPIRACY MAN!!
- mokenavince - Tuesday, Mar 15, 11 @ 1:53 pm:
We are wasting a ton of money throwing pot smokers in jail.Use the money to help mental patients. Just say we won the drug war and move on. Most of us have family members who smoke pot,and can be very responsible.
- Ghost of John Brown - Tuesday, Mar 15, 11 @ 4:42 pm:
Hmmm - Mental health cuts and we still have Rod Blagojevich running around. Not sure if this is a smart move.