As history shows, nearly every civilization has progressed and evolved using some form of alcohol. But no civilization in history has ever experimented with the types of industrialized THC products Western countries are now recklessly legalizing, commercializing, and normalizing. We might pause to ask ourselves why zero Asian countries have done so and why China is so anxious to promote this cultural suicide weapon here.

A 2023 global study on life expectancy showed we are back to pre-pandemic levels with one notable exception: Teens and young adults in Western countries are dying at higher rates, driven largely by suicides and substance use.

Traffic fatalities continue to be a major cause of death in young adults, which is one reason The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh has been vocal about his opposition to the legalization of marijuana. In fact, a recent study of dead drivers in a major Ohio county morgue found that 42% of them tested positive for THC.

Pot apologists quickly jumped to their defense, noting that THC can be detected for up to a month after use. But the national past 30-day marijuana use rate is only 16%, yet these drivers had average THC levels 5 to 10 times the state legal limits.

Some will argue, “Well, it’s no worse than alcohol.”

Marijuana use, however, is associated with more alcohol consumption, and marijuana users are five times more likely to become alcoholics. It has also been reported that up to 40% of marijuana users use daily, and up to 30% meet criteria for addiction — both far higher percentages than for drinkers. Using alcohol to excuse marijuana use or legalization is simply an exercise in lazy whataboutism.

Speaking of which, THC strongly induces suicidality even in patients who were not depressed to begin with, and state legalization has led to sharp increases in youth suicides. Up to 30% of schizophrenia cases in young men are attributable to THC use now.

Marijuana smoke is also causing the same type of cancers as tobacco smoke, while also dramatically increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes in younger users. Further, as the American College of Cardiology reports, THC has been shown to cause damage to major blood vessels regardless of the mechanism of ingestion.

Add to this the well-known adverse effects on motivation and educational achievement, and the costs of the cannabis culture to government budgets are simply staggering. One study on the costs of legalization in Colorado, for example, conservatively estimated, “For every dollar gained in tax revenue, Coloradans spent approximately $4.50 to mitigate the effects of legalization.” And that’s even at a 15% sales tax rate.

While there is simply no conservative case for the legalization of marijuana, the libertarian case suffers from serious flaws. First of all, the utopian assumption that legalization would lead to a “safe and regulated” product that would eliminate the black market has now gone 0-for-24 in our marijuana legal states. Many legal THC products are more potent than ever before, even more than the now highly potent plant itself. The industry has defied regulation, and the black markets are thriving. Legalizing marijuana to eliminate the black market is like giving your dog ticks to rid it of fleas. You just double the infestation.

More importantly, substances like THC are the exception that proves the libertarian rule. Libertarianism works when people are free to act in their own best interest and, by extension, their family, community, and country. Chemicals like THC are designed to promote the opposite type of citizen. Libertarians should be the most opposed to the drug culture because it undermines the very foundation of their ideology.

The politically driven potential rescheduling of marijuana will only fuel this destructive industry with tax breaks and marketing privileges. Republicans should note that young male voters moved to the Right last November while radical Democrats were still enticing them with more weed.

Much attention has been paid to the influence of transgender ideology on the radicalization of Charlie Kirk’s assassin. But as we saw with the transgender school shooter in Minneapolis, THC may have also played a role. As discussed in a recent episode of the Liz Wheeler show, a close friend of the suspected Utah assassin reported rampant drug use in his apartment and that “We’d have a mostly weekly magic night at the apartment where everyone would come drink, get high and play magic.”

Charlie Kirk gave his generation more credit than some in the GOP. Despite the criticism, he stood up to the lies of the THC industry. Republicans will never outbid Democrats in the race to the drug culture bottom. Nor should they, as polls show we may have already reached the bottom, with public sentiment now turning against marijuana.

Charlie knew that minds can be changed, but facts cannot. Truth and the future of this great country are worth standing for, regardless of the cost.

Principled conservatives should do more than eulogize Charlie. They should emulate him.

* * *

Matt Poling is a physician, Medical Director of Citizens for a Safe and Healthy Texas, and Faculty Advisor for Texas A&M Young Americans for Freedom. mpoling@sw.org

The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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The High Cost Of Getting High: How Legal Weed Is Destroying A Generation