Ending the use of cash in the United States can provide substantial social and economic gain while requiring only modest levels of investment. One primary benefit is the reduction of cash-related crimes. Because most street crime is committed to obtain cash or uses cash as a transaction medium, elimination of cash will dramatically reduce crime. Technology has advanced in the United States to a point where a cashless society is now feasible, and the benefits of eliminating cash may be more easily obtained. This report illustrates how changing to an electronic cash system, the U.S. Electronic Money System (USEMS), would wholly eliminate certain classes of crimes, severely reduce the incidence of others such as drug crime, and shrink the underground economy. A description of the cashless society explains how USEMS would function, security considerations, rights of privacy, and other basic issues. The report also demonstrates how hundreds of billions of dollars in benefits to both public and private sectors would result from its implementation. (CK)