University of Paris economist Pierre Kopp wants to legalize marijuana for entirely economic reasons.

Kopp tells Le Monde [translated]: "For economists, the public good is that which minimizes the cost to society, in other words those which permit the improvement of public well-being at the least cost."

As things stand France spends $420 million a year trying to stop around from smoking weed, plus additional judicial costs. Despite this cost, consumption has stabilized at a high level.

Kopp would like France to save those costs and pocket and an additional $1.4 billion from taxing marijuana. Some of this money could be funneled back into education and combating harder drugs.

An article by Kopp, "Are Drugs Good For France?", will be published in the Revue Economique in September.