According to Procon.org half of the adults in the U.S. smoke medical marijuana. Even though it is illegal under federal law. Nearly 600,000 adults are arrested for marijuana annually. This is more than one person per minute that is arrested. People are trying to legalize marijuana more today than ever. Colorado and Washington are two places that have legalized marijuana. They legalized marijuana in 2012.  

Legalizing marijuana would boost the economy greatly. The marijuana industry could boost the economy with 24 billion dollars by 2025 according to procon.org. For every $1.00 spent in the marijuana industry economic activity is greatly generated. Tourism, banking, food and real estate, and construction are a couple of industries that would greatly benefit from the marijuana industry. In 2016 7.2  billion dollars were generated in the legal marijuana industry in Nevada. If we made marijuana legal we would be generating lots more money for just one state. According to one student study in California, they could generate over 5 billion dollars annually every year by the marijuana industry. According to ProCon.org in Colorado, the marijuana industry generated almost three times more tax revenue than alcohol.

DUIs and traffic deaths could decrease when marijuana is legalized. According to pewreasearch.org traffic deaths dropped 11% on average in each state where marijuana is legalized. Arrests for driving under influence decreased in Colorado and Nevada when marijuana was legalized. Studies show that drivers under the influence of marijuana tend to be more cautious and take fewer risks than drunk drivers  According to reuter.com since 1996 28 states have legalized medical marijuana which has made traffic deaths go down. Most of this might be because these people who drink substitute it for smoking marijuana.  

According to Procon.org legalizing marijuana could mean less teen use. The rates of marijuana use by young people are falling despite the fact more US states are legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana. Marijuana use among 8th graders in Washington state decreased following legalization in 2012, from 9.8 percent to 7.3 percent from 2014 to 2016, according to procon.org.  A study from the Centers for Disease Control found that past-year marijuana use decreased by 17%, from 15.8% in 2002 to 13.1% in 2014, among US kids ages 12 to 17. Colorado teens between 12 and 17 years old reported a nearly 12% drop in marijuana use just two years after adult use was legalized, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.