Marijuana legalization boosts the ECONOMY?! The marijuana industry (adult-use and medical) in the United States could exceed $24 billion in revenue by 2025. For every $1.00 spent in the marijuana industry, between $2.13 and $2.40 in economic activity is generated.  Tourism, banking, food, real estate, construction, and transportation are a few of the industries that benefit from legal marijuana.

To see good pros (and cons) about this topic: https://marijuana.procon.org

Marijuana actually has health benefits and can benefit our economy. Proponents of legalizing recreational marijuana say it will add billions to the economy, create hundreds of thousands of jobs, free up scarce police resources, and stop the huge racial disparities in marijuana enforcement.

Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine found that “the rates of marijuana use by young people are falling despite the fact more US states are legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana use and the number of adults using the drug has increased.”

Marijuana use among 8th graders in Washington state decreased following legalization in 2012, from 9.8 percent to 7.3 percent in 2014/2016, according to a Dec. 2018 report from RAND.

Traffic deaths and arrests for DUIs do not increase, and may decrease, when marijuana is legalized.  

Traffic deaths dropped 11% on average in states that legalized medical marijuana. Arrests for driving under the influence have decreased in Washington and Colorado. Benjamin Hansen, an economics professor at the University of Oregon at Eugene who studied traffic deaths post-medical marijuana legalization, stated that “Public safety doesn’t decrease with increased access to marijuana, rather it improves.”

studies show that drivers under the influence of marijuana tend to be more cautious and take fewer risks than drunk drivers, such as making fewer lane changes and reducing speed. A fact sheet about marijuana’s effects on drivers posted on the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration website stated that “Some drivers may actually be able to improve performance for brief periods by overcompensating for self-perceived impairment.”