A recent Megyn Kelly segment delivered a message every parent and community leader should hear: drugs — yes, including today’s super-potent marijuana and the trendy psychedelics — are not harmless recreational choices but real chemical assaults on the young minds of our nation. Too many elites and coastal policymakers treat legalization as harmless virtue-signaling while ignoring the wreckage left in the wake of addiction and psychosis. Hardworking Americans raised on common-sense values know we cannot normalize substances that break people’s minds and then shrug and call it progress.

The science is clear that patterns of heavy and high-potency cannabis use are linked to real increases in psychotic disorders, not just temporary “bad trips.” Large, peer-reviewed research shows daily use of high-THC cannabis is associated with multiple times the odds of developing a first episode of psychosis, especially among the young and vulnerable. This is not alarmism; it is data that should make legislators think twice before handing Big Weed another victory lap.

Federal public-health authorities and major research institutions back up the warning: cannabis use is associated with psychosis, and rising potency and daily use have turned what used to be a niche problem into a growing public-health risk. The National Institutes of Health and the CDC both flag early, frequent, and high-potency use as serious risk factors for long-term mental-health problems, and recent studies show the burden falls especially on young men. If we care about the next generation, we cannot keep pretending the current approach is safe.

This danger extends beyond marijuana. The psychedelic renaissance in elite circles and therapy clinics has its own blind spots; while controlled research may proceed cautiously, real-world use without strict screening can and has been followed by lasting psychotic episodes for some people. Emergency-department data and clinical case reports show that hallucinogen-related crises are not rare, and people with undiagnosed or genetic vulnerabilities can be irreversibly harmed. No cultural chicness about “microdosing” or celebrity endorsements should blind us to those human tragedies.

Worse, substance-induced psychosis is not always a one-night mistake you recover from and forget; a significant fraction of people who suffer drug-triggered psychosis later convert to chronic schizophrenia or other severe psychiatric disorders. Longitudinal studies and clinical reviews report disturbing conversion rates, meaning a single night of experimentation can be the opening act of a decade or lifetime of suffering. That reality demands we stop treating drug policy as a marketing opportunity for progressive politicians and Big Pharma wannabes.

So what should patriotic Americans demand? First, restore common-sense restrictions: limit youth access to high-potency products, tighten regulations on dispensaries, and stop the corporate push to addict a new generation. Second, fund true treatment and enforcement where necessary — not performative “harm reduction” that coddles suppliers while families pay the price. Third, empower parents, churches, and communities with education about the concrete neurological risks so they can act before tragedy strikes.

And finally, hold the media and elites accountable when they downplay the damage. Conservatives believe in personal responsibility, but responsibility depends on truth and on institutions that protect youth from powerful substances weaponized by profit. We can respect liberty while refusing to normalize policies that turn neighborhoods into testing grounds for the latest chemical trend.

This is not about moralizing or shrine-building; it’s about saving lives, defending families, and preserving the future of our country. The data and the stories are piling up — and if our leaders keep looking the other way, the bill will come due in ruined lives and communities. Hardworking Americans deserve better than fashionable indifference from the people who govern us.