Breakfast Of Champions: Is Pot Good For You?

While factors like state tax revenue and government control are all important in the national debt on whether or not to legalize marijuana, the question at the core of the issue is whether or not the drug is good for the public's health.

Conflicting information has given both sides of the debate fuel, leaving investors to wonder whether or not marijuana legalization is a real possibility.

Medical Benefits

Drug companies like GW Pharmaceuticals GWPH and Insys Therapeutics INSY believe there is some benefit to be had from marijuana.

The research teams are developing marijuana-based drugs for everything from Alzheimer's to epilepsy despite restrictions from the Federal government, which classify marijuana as a Schedule I drug with no known medical properties.

Cancer Shrinking Properties

However, claims that marijuana has healing properties have gained some traction over the past year as new studies show measurable effects from cannabis-based treatments.

A study conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse showed that marijuana helped kill cancerous cells and shrink others in animals. The data showed that when used together with marijuana, radiation was much more powerful in fighting cancer.

Related Link: U.S. Marijuana Reform Is Hurting Mexican Drug Cartels

The Other Side

However, while marijuana may be proven to aid in treating some specialized diseases, the drug also has harmful properties. Many worry that by legalizing marijuana, the dangers of using the drug will be minimized in the eyes of the public leading to more widespread usage.

A recent study by Northwestern University showed that long term marijuana usage during adolescence could significantly impact adults' brainpower.

The experiment showed that adults who used marijuana in their teens had lower scores on a long-term memory test .