The government has noted the potential they have to bring in money for their local economies through taxing marijuana. For example, “The four states that have legalized marijuana have already collected more than $200 million in combined tax revenue, saving money in police departments, courts, prisons, probation and parole offices and other agencies that are burdened by pot prosecutions.” This may lead one to conclude that legalizing it may be more useful than it may seem. Furthermore, legalizing marijuana could potentially help reduce crime in the United States, “there will be open competition and lower prices, so drug cartels, which include terrorists, would lose some or even all of their business.” Many people believe that if marijuana were legalized it would lead to an increase in its use, but in reality “legal substances can be controlled in ways that illegal ones cannot”. This can control the regulation and distribution of marijuana in the United States. The only reason we can't really control marijuana is because "it is the illegal market, without standards, regulations or price controls, that poses a threat to public health." That said, the government can take control of the situation by legalizing it and even increase tax revenue