Marijuana comes from the hemp plant, Cannabis sativa. Whether its smoked, eaten, or mixed in with some tea, Americans can’t get enough of the illicit drug. Although in most states possession is still illegal, some states are decriminalizing or even legalizing the drug. Colorado recently legalized “recreational marijuana” which means you can smoke pot legally, for fun. Since legalizing weed in Colorado, the CO state government has been raking in enormous amounts of money.
This year, the state expects to take in $70 million in tax revenue from the now legal drug. This number really isn’t very surprising considering this is the first state to end the prohibition on marijuana for recreational use.
The odds of other states following in Colorado’s footsteps are high. If nothing else, other states will copy Colorado simply because they want more revenue. Not only does legalizing marijuana help the state’s wallet, it also helps the economy. Weed creates jobs.
So we already know that pot is great for the economy, but what about weed users? Is it good for them too?
We do know the effects of marijuana, they include things like: rapid heart rate, increased blood pressure, increased rate of breathing, red eyes, and increased appetite (munchies). Here’s something a bit scarier: “Marijuana smoke contains 50% to 70% more cancer-causing substances than tobacco smoke.” According to Drug-Free World. For some reason, we feel Drug-Free World may be a bit biased.
The effects of marijuana certainly need some more researching. Most researchers do agree that marijuana has a practical use in the medical field. But like any other issue, there are always going to be two sides. One side says weed is good, the other, bad.
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