Despite tons of research on drug use and drug side effects, too many Republicans have been fooled into thinking of marijuana as an exception.
A poll released Tuesday showed that most Republican voters in Missouri, Wyoming, and Ohio support making marijuana regulation a state topic rather than a federal one. However, if marijuana regulation went to the states, I fear that not many states would outlaw its recreational use. Fifty-five percent of Republicans and 52% of conservatives want to legalize marijuana. Approximately 1 in 10 Americans smoke marijuana monthly.
As anyone that is aware of the fentanyl crisis can attest, drug use is a problem that should be tackled at the federal level. It is the federal government’s role to “promote the General Welfare,” and so it should. Recreational marijuana is harmful and sometimes potentially lethal, contrary to popular belief.
Marijuana causes physical health problems. Motor performance in sectors such as coordination, reaction time, and movement is significantly stymied. Artery damage is three times more likely, as well as the risk of heart attacks due to increased blood pressure and heart rate. There are plenty of respiratory risks, from heavy coughs to possible links to lung cancer.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse notes that some side effects are more likely than others and that some are still being debated and researched further. However, it acknowledges that there have already been enough studies done that should warrant great concern.
Marijuana deteriorates mental health and cognition. It decreases dopamine response, which can lead to one seeking greater euphoria from harder drugs and possibly cause erectile dysfunction. It results in a permanent loss of IQ points and increases memory loss. It also has links to disorientation, paranoia, temporary psychosis, schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts.
While marijuana is not typically perceived as being a gateway drug, it is a common destination for early addicts who get hooked on either it, alcohol, or tobacco as one of their first addictions.
Besides the data behind why recreational marijuana should be discouraged and prohibited, why indulge in it to begin with? Seeking a high in all its forms is illogical and foolish. You lose even the slightest control of yourself, and you will either do something you will regret or be incapable of reacting spontaneously in an unexpected situation.
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America, over the course of several decades, has become a society that prioritizes pleasure over all else. From sexual gratification to wealth to retreating to the digital world, everyone now seeks to do what makes themselves feel good, regardless of the ensuing consequences. Does a pothead consider the families he puts at risk when he drives while high? Does he consider the costly path he has set up for the later stages of his life? I think not.
Republicans have given ground to the Left’s relentless push for self-satisfaction regarding recreational marijuana. They need a serious course correction and should reexamine this subject before praising the legalization of marijuana as some sort of grand bipartisan accomplishment and a societal good.
Parker Miller is a 2024 Washington Examiner winter fellow.