The Benefits of Legalization.

Legalizing "it" may be beneficial in more ways than one.

Not that "it"... the other "it".

A new study by some economists at Emory University in Atlanta says that intolerance towards gays, in the form of gay marriage bans, may increase HIV infection rates.

Hugo Mialon and Andrew Francis say that banning gay marriage and sending a tone of intolerance can drive gay people to "underground" sexual behaviors that carry more risk of HIV infection. They estimate that banning gay marriage may increase HIV infections by 4 cases per 100,000 people.

The Centers for Disease Control estimated that the nationwide HIV infection rate in 2003 was 127.8 per 100,000 people.

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