5 towns saved from ruin by the booming legal weed industry

Brennan Linsley/AP

Sean Babson walks between rows of crop at Los Suenos Farms, America's largest legal open air marijuana farm, in Pueblo County, Colorado.

The legal marijuana industry brought in upwards of $4 billion in sales in 2016, according to a new report from the Marijuana Business Daily. And small-town America is riding the high.

In the eight US states where recreational marijuana is legal, the marijuana "green rush" has breathed new life into the rural communities that welcome it. Cultivation facilities, dispensaries, and infused products companies create jobs and tax revenue for the cities and states, which then supports public infrastructure and community efforts.

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Here are five towns that came back from the brink thanks to legal weed.