Once upon a time pot and gambling were considered vices and banned in most states.
Now they are big business.
The little strip mall where my gym is located has three retail outlets which sell marijuana (which is legal here in Maryland). Perhaps not coincidentally, there is also a 7-11 which does a booming business at night and on weekends.
Also visible from the parking lot are three very large signs promoting on-line sports betting.
Gambling and pot are not only big business, they are highly lucrative for state governments. Maryland currently takes in a bit more than $100 million in marijuana tax revenue and about $25 million in sports gambling. The amount generated by gambling is expected to double over the next 12 months as Maryland will raise the tax rate from 15 to 30% on revenue.
The wave of marijuana legalization kicked into overdrive in the 2010s, and sports betting was jumpstarted when the Supreme Court ruled in 2018 (Murphy vs. NCAA) that the issue was a matter to be resolved by the individual states. In both cases concerns about public health effects were downplayed, both in the belief that such effects were minimal, and that they were more than offset by increases in tax revenue and by reduced strain on the criminal justice system.