Want to take a bite out of the American obesity epidemic? Legalize medical marijuana. That's the counterintuitive finding of a new study in the journal Health Economics.

Researchers from San Diego State University and Cornell University found that at the state level, passing a medical marijuana law (MML) "is associated with a 2 percent to 6 percent decline in the probability of obesity."

Over the longer term, this effect could be even larger.

Tally it all up and according to the study's authors, "we estimate a back-of-the-envelopeper-person reduction in MML-induced obesity related medical costs of $58 to $115 per year."

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Christopher Ingraham ~ Washington Post ~