A message for the New York state dopes who voted to legalize weed: Told you so

We are at an “I-told-you-so moment.” That’s what New York state Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar told The Post last week in response to the new guide, “Talking With Young People About Weed.” Kassar couldn’t be more right.State officials, apparently, have finally realized the negative consequences of their decision to legalize cannabis for recreational use five years ago. Emergency-room visits have skyrocketed, as have pediatric poisonings.

Hospital visits involving cannabis and children under age 5 rose more than 1,600% since 2016. “Anyone who uses cannabis frequently over time is at risk for developing Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome,” the guide warns, which includes “severe abdominal pain, persistent nausea, and repeated vomiting.” And those are just the temporary effects.Cannabis Use Disorder has been linked to higher rates of psychosis, suicidal ideation, panic attacks and other mood disorders, particularly among teens and young adults.

This is even more of a problem because many teens have gotten the idea cannabis will help them with mental-health challenges and start self-medicating for depression and anxiety.The result is often an increase in those problems.  Using weed has resulted in underperformance in school and behavior problems, not surprisingly.

In the immediate aftermath of legalization in New York incidents involving illegal drugs, drug paraphernalia, alcohol and unauthorized use of possession of controlled substances or prescription medications increased 17% in the 2022-2023 school year compared to the year before.A recent Wall Street Journal article reported that DeWitt Clinton High School in The Bronx “has limited the kind of food students are allowed to bring because teens were smuggling THC edibles in with their lunch and snacks.”How did we get here? It is worth understanding how warnings about these problems went unheeded.

In 2017, Gov.Andrew Cuomo resisted pressure to approve recreational marijuana.

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