{"id":2595463,"date":"2026-04-27T02:23:01","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T06:23:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/backlash-to-legal-weed-rising-as-its-massive-costs-hit-neighborhoods\/"},"modified":"2026-04-27T02:30:56","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T06:30:56","slug":"backlash-to-legal-weed-rising-as-its-massive-costs-hit-neighborhoods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/backlash-to-legal-weed-rising-as-its-massive-costs-hit-neighborhoods\/","title":{"rendered":"Backlash To Legal Weed Rising As Its Massive Costs Hit"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbacklash-to-legal-weed-rising-as-its-massive-costs-hit-neighborhoods%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2595463&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The text argues that marijuana legalization has harmed public health and fertility rather than delivering promised benefits.It cites advice from reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Natalie Crawford, saying cannabis use is \u201chugely detrimental\u201d to male fertility-reducing sperm count, concentration, motility, and viability-and increasing miscarriage risk for female partners. It also claims legalization is linked to lower overall fertility rates in states that legalized.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond reproductive effects, the article contends that cannabis dose not <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >meaningfully relieve major mental health conditions<\/a>, and may instead contribute to risks like psychosis, bipolar episodes, depression, and suicidality-especially among young people. It further points to evidence of potential negative brain effects in older adults, including impacts on memory and brain volume.<\/p>\n<p>The piece also alleges the cannabis industry has influenced research and policy through lobbying and biased studies, highlighting conflicts of interest and industry funding. Financially, it claims states have not maintained expected tax revenue, with examples including California\u2019s growth in black-market sales, and revenue declines in Colorado and Oregon due to oversupply and falling prices.<\/p>\n<p>it traces the legalization rollout from early medical marijuana laws (starting with California\u2019s Prop 215 in 1996 and spreading in the early 2000s) to full recreational legalization in more states later on, including Republican-led states.It argues that some jurisdictions are now reversing course, citing initiatives and repeal efforts in places like Massachusetts and Maine, as the public and policymakers become more skeptical of \u201cBig Pot\u201d claims that marijuana is harmless and not addictive.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>In a recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=RTPNJgHeZBI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">podcast<\/a>, Andrew Huberman interviewed Dr. Natalie Crawford, a reproductive endocrinologist. She revealed marijuana use is \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hubermanlab\/status\/2043696336567222393?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hugely detrimental<\/a>\u201d to sperm production and quality. It\u2019s just the latest in years of research and experience debunking claims that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/its-lit-florida-dem-could-profit-from-legal-weed\/\" title=\"It...s Lit: Florida Dem Could Profit From Legal Weed\">recreational marijuana legalization<\/a> will benefit society. <\/p>\n<p>Crawford referenced research that shows marijuana consumption diminishes sperm counts and sperm concentration, reduces <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/40038427\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sperm motility<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/40038427\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">viability<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0015028208007504\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">inhibits<\/a> the <a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/andr.12953\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ability<\/a> of sperm to fertilize eggs. She also says female partners who conceive with a male who uses cannabis have much higher miscarriage rates than those who do not use.<\/p>\n<p>It seems the gig is up for Big Pot. The biased data behind its approval is being called out by popular podcasters and health experts, and its harms, especially in its modern formulation with high levels of THC, are coming to light.<\/p>\n<h2>Killing Fertility, Brain Cells, and State Budgets<\/h2>\n<p>States that have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/joint-session-questioning-the-senates-debate-on-the-decriminalization-of-marijuana\/\" title=\"Joint Session: Questioning The Senate...s Debate On The Decriminalization Of ...\">legalized recreational pot<\/a> have a lower total fertility rate than those that haven\u2019t, based on <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.is\/o\/TpxoA\/https:\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_fertility_rate%23cite_note-5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">calculations from statistical reports<\/a>. A <a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/humrep\/article\/36\/5\/1405\/6075089\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2021 study in Human Reproduction<\/a> shows cannabis use may be associated with a 41 percent decline in the ability to conceive compared to non-users. Since below-replacement birth rates are an existential crisis across the West that will collapse the economy and society if they don\u2019t improve, this is a massive problem.<\/p>\n<p>A March 2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/journals\/lanpsy\/article\/PIIS2215-0366(26)00015-5\/fulltext\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">meta-analysis<\/a> shows pot gave \u201cno significant\u201d relief to \u201canxiety, anorexia nervosa, psychotic disorders, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-gary-sinise-launches-new-initiative-with-home-depot-founders\/\" title=\"WATCH: Gary Sinise Launches New Initiative With Home De... Founders\">post-traumatic stress disorder<\/a>.\u201d Quite the contrary. Along with infertility, psychosis and suicidal ideation are among the top health implications of frequent pot usage.<\/p>\n<p>States with legalized recreational pot experience spikes in psychotic and bipolar disorders among young adults. In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ajpmonline.org\/article\/S0749-3797(25)00610-5\/abstract?ref=compactmag.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Massachusetts<\/a>, legalization has coincided with a threefold increase in psychiatric emergency care among occasional users under 26. A recent Columbia <a href=\"https:\/\/www.columbiapsychiatry.org\/news\/recreational-cannabis-use-teens-linked-risk-depression-suicidality?ref=compactmag.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">study<\/a> found much the same rate for depression and suicidality for occasional users and even higher rates for addicts.<\/p>\n<p>A recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/wellness\/2026\/04\/14\/cannabis-brain-health\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Washington Post article<\/a> highlighted the effects of cannabis use among those over 65. While many elders begin use for sleep disturbances, pain, arthritis, and anxiety, studies show detrimental effects on memory and brain volume.\u00a0Even The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/02\/09\/opinion\/regulate-legalized-marijuana.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">New York Times<\/a> now acknowledges the \u201cpublic health challenges\u201d posed by legalized pot.<\/p>\n<p>The cannabis industry has poured millions of dollars into lobbying and biased research to try and hide the truth. According to one <a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/blog\/healing-from-addiction\/202301\/sponsorship-of-marijuana-research-may-bias-the-results?msockid=1a9594911cfd6261271581631da163b3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">meta-analysis<\/a>, 82 percent of studies were authored by someone with a conflict of interest, and about one-third of the studies received direct cannabis company funding. The cannabis industry invests somewhere between $25 million and $40 million per year on both federal and state-level lobbying, with state pressure being dominant. Those amounts do not include campaign contributions to candidates, Super PAC or ballot initiative spending, or PR expenditures.<\/p>\n<h2>Promises Of Tax Revenue Go Up In Smoke<\/h2>\n<p>Unfortunately, a lot of damage has already been done. Both the left and the right facilitated greater normalization of marijuana use. The left argued it was a \u201cnatural medicine\u201d that promoted creativity and relaxation with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/vaccine-hesitancy-is-1-of-whos-top-10-global-threats-but-flu-shot-data-tells-a-different-story\/\" title=\"\u201cVaccine Hesitancy\u201d Is 1 of WHO...s Top 10 Global Threats\u2014but Flu Shot Data Tells a Different Story\">minimal side effects<\/a>. The right, historically obsessed with free enterprise, believed it would become a burgeoning business that would benefit communities through taxation. Both were wrong.<\/p>\n<p>States that promised revenue boons from pot legalization have not reaped the benefits they had hoped. Ironically, in California, legalization helped proliferate the black-market sales of pot, suppressing taxable revenue. In Colorado, after an initial boon that peaked in 2021, revenue has fallen each year since, dropping more than 45 percent. In Oregon, an oversupply and low prices suppressed tax yield, and the revenue proved insufficient to fully fund long-term commitments to public safety and local drug treatment programs. Alaska and Washington follow suit.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Pot legalization initially found success at the polls. In 1996, California legalized medical marijuana through <a href=\"https:\/\/californiamarijuanamarket.com\/proposition-215\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">California Prop 215<\/a> or the \u201cCompassionate Use Act.\u201d This was a critical turning point. It demonstrated that states could carve out medical exceptions despite federal prohibition.<\/p>\n<p>Sadly, as goes California, so goes the nation. Between 1998 and 2003, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Maine, Hawaii, and Colorado all enacted medical marijuana laws. By the mid-2010s, most U.S. states had legalized marijuana for medical use, even while federal law remained unchanged.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Fast forward to now, when even Republican-controlled states like Ohio, Missouri, and Montana have legalized recreational pot. The Trump administration has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/12\/18\/politics\/trump-marijuana-re\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">proposed<\/a> decreasing federal regulations on marijuana, moving it from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug. Percentages of Americans using pot have <a href=\"https:\/\/drugabusestatistics.org\/marijuana-addiction\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">risen<\/a> 65 percent since 2015.<\/p>\n<h2>Earliest Adopters Now Reversing Course<\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>Some states are rethinking legalization and even reversing course. Massachusetts, which legalized pot in 2014, officially has a ballot initiative that would end recreational marijuana sales statewide, making Massachusetts the closest to a full reversal.<\/p>\n<p>In Maine, state officials approved a citizen <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/maine-officials-approve-2026-ballot-initiative-to-largely-repeal-marijuana-legalization-law-for-signature-collection\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">initiative<\/a> for the 2026 ballot that would effectively repeal adult-use legalization. Arizona is undergoing an early-stage repeal campaign started in 2020, while Oklahoma is pushing to roll back medicinal use.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Big Pot, like Big Tobacco of yore, sells marijuana as a healthy choice and hardly addictive. Pot-smokers claim stress and pain relief without any detrimental side effects. The data demonstrates differently, and as with tobacco, the public is catching on.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes progress is not about pushing boundaries further, but about rediscovering restraint. Decades later, Nancy Reagan\u2019s much-mocked refrain sounds less like fear-mongering and more like foresight. \u201cJust say no\u201d was never about punishment \u2014 it was about limits. And America may finally be remembering why limits exist in the first place.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p>      Scott Yenor is Chair of the American Citizenship Initiative at the Heritage Foundation, and Jennifer Galardi is a Senior Policy Analyst for Restoring American Wellness.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a podcast, Andrew Huberman interviewed Dr. Natalie Crawford, who said marijuana use is \u201chugely detrimental\u201d to sperm quality and production<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4264,"featured_media":2595464,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/tree-coffee-hair-road-street-car-1269018-pxhere.com_.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4265,64233,35077,78644],"class_list":["post-2595463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-backlash","tag-cannabis-policy","tag-economic-impact","tag-legal-weed"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/tree-coffee-hair-road-street-car-1269018-pxhere.com_.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2595463","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4264"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2595463"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2595463\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2595467,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2595463\/revisions\/2595467"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2595464"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2595463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2595463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2595463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}