Health care costs of marijuana users.

After watching a few people from the DEA talk about marijuana and it's negative effects, I noticed something that came up almost every time.

These DEA spokespersons and agents suggest that the health care costs of legalized marijuana will cost more than the taxes it will generate.

The idea comes from applying the same rules that alcohol and tobacco seem to have. Tobacco causes cancer, respiratory problems, heart disease, etc. Therefore, the taxes generated on tobacco does not pay for the health care costs when a person seeks medical treatment when they are diagnosed with a related ailment. The same can apply to alcohol.


Now, at this point, I realize most of the information the DEA is relying on is the same information that a few congressmen used to ban marijuana in the first place. But I have to wonder, exactly what ailments will marijuana procure that will cost more money to treat than is made in taxes?

I've seen medical studies that show marijuana doesn't cause lung cancer. I've seen studies that show marijuana CURES cancer. I know that there are at least three main ways to consume marijuana, two of which don't involve combustion (tincture/vaporize). So the only thing I can think of is triggering an underlying medical condition, such as schizophrenia, which isn't a direct link between marijuana and a medical condition, as it can be triggered by other means.

So which leg is the DEA trying to stand on? I'm a little confused. There might not even be an answer to my question, but I'd still like to know what they are talking about.