Some people insist that marijuana is a gateway to strong drugs… Some law enforcement agencies still focus on marijuana, while stronger opiates are largely ignored. As cannabis legalization expands across the rest of the country, researchers continue to explore the potential of cannabinoid therapy. Certain recent studies indicate that cannabis may prove truly helpful against a wide variety of addictions, however over 21 million Americans are currently affected by addictions! Addiction to alcohol, tobacco, and strong prescription drugs costs the public approximately $720 billion dollars every single year. The number of accidental deaths by overdose has almost tripled in the last fifteen years. And though many argue that replacing dependence on one drug for another substance for another is not an effective treatment, addiction to marijuana is extremely rare! This natural substance is way less addictive than cigarettes or many other legal substances. Plus, according to the DEA, no one has ever died from marijuana overdoses. And cannabinoid therapy offers the potential of lowering rates of addiction as well as overdoses. Legalizing cannabis has already reduced the number of overdose deaths in the country. In 2014, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association, those states offering legal cannabis had fewer opioid overdose-related deaths. There was also a decline in the number of prescriptions filled to treat depression and sleep disorders as well as spasticity. Medical marijuana has already saved our Medicare program millions of dollars. And plus, legalizing marijuana nationwide offers a potential savings of approximately $472 million. While the cost savings is actually a benefit, the legalization of marijuana saves lives. There is now hope for millions of people suffering from addiction!