id="mod_45504954">The legalization of marijuana is gaining momentum globally as more communities are seeing the positive effects of cannabis-related products both medicinally and economically. On the economic side, marijuana legalization—for either medical or recreational use—would boost the U.S. economy in the long run.

A study by research firm New Frontier Data revealed that legalizing marijuana would lead to the creation of 1.1 million jobs by 2025. The increase in jobs also means a rise in payroll taxes. Taxing it as a legal commodity means additional income for the government in the form of sales tax and business tax from the marijuana industry.

In fact, in 2015, 18,000 jobs were created due to the legalization of marijuana in Colorado. The additional jobs translated to $2.4 billion in economic activity. That same year, the state received $121 million from marijuana industry revenues—a number expected to increase to $150 million by 2020. These funds can go to areas of the co