" Along with nausea, patients undergoing chemotherapy often find it hard to maintain normal weight, and typically lose a considerable amount during the process. Marijuana has been shown to not only to reduce nausea, but stimulate appetite as well. For patients with cancer, marijuana can improve food intake and overall health. Cancer patients also often suffer from mood disorders like depression. As most studies have found, chemicals found in marijuana such as cannabinoids and cannabidiol have significant anti-anxiety and antidepressant effects "(23 Health Benefits of Marijuana)." Marijuana has also been shown to reduce the effects of glaucoma, control epileptic seizures, and ease the pain of multiple sclerosis and arthritis "(6 Powerful Reasons to Legalize Marijuana).".
The legalization of recreational marijuana would also yield a new tax source for the government, which will consequently increase revenue and decrease the country's massive deficit. When recreational marijuana first became legal in Colorado in the early part of 2014, the state saw an immediate economic boom. During the first week of sales alone, 37 new dispensaries around the sate reported retail sales that, when added up, were roughly $5 million ("(Colorado's legal weed market: $700 million in sales last year, $1 billion by 2016.)." More dispensaries also means more job opportunities for the unemployed. In its first official year of legalization, Colorado retailers sold $386 million from medicinal marijuana and $313 million for recreational purposes, totaling $700 million in sales. These two markets generated $63 million in tax revenue, with an additional $13 million collected in licenses and fees. Total marijuana tax revenues are expected to climb to $94 million annually by 2016, which would equate to a $1 billion dollar industry "(Colorado's legal weed market: $700 million in sales last year, $1 billion by 2016).
