Jennifer Galardi and Scott Yenor write for the Federalist about the impact of legalized marijuana.
In a recent podcast, Andrew Huberman interviewed Dr. Natalie Crawford, a reproductive endocrinologist. She revealed marijuana use is “hugely detrimental” to sperm production and quality. It’s just the latest in years of research and experience debunking claims that recreational marijuana legalization will benefit society.
Crawford referenced research that shows marijuana consumption diminishes sperm counts and sperm concentration, reduces sperm motility and viability, and inhibits the ability 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.
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.
States that have legalized recreational pot have a lower total fertility rate than those that haven’t, based on calculations from statistical reports. A 2021 study in Human Reproduction 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’t improve, this is a massive problem.
A March 2026 meta-analysis shows pot gave “no significant” relief to “anxiety, anorexia nervosa, psychotic disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder.” Quite the contrary. Along with infertility, psychosis and suicidal ideation are among the top health implications of frequent pot usage.
States with legalized recreational pot experience spikes in psychotic and bipolar disorders among young adults. In Massachusetts, legalization has coincided with a threefold increase in psychiatric emergency care among occasional users under 26. A recent Columbia study found much the same rate for depression and suicidality for occasional users and even higher rates for addicts.
