In the wake of a nationwide movement to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, an increasing chorus of voices are expressing strong concerns about the devastating impact the drug is having on public health across the country, even in the liberal state where recreational use was first legalized in 2012.

Last week, the issue regained national attention after The New York Times editorial board reversed its opinion on full-throated support of unfettered recreational use, pointing out that 18 million Americans use marijuana up to five times per week (a figure that has tripled in just 14 years), with more people using the drug daily than alcohol. As a result, the number of people suffering from serious cannabis-related illnesses like cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (which causes severe vomiting) have gone through the roof, with almost 2.8 million now experiencing the illness. In addition, the editors point out that more and more people are being hospitalized for marijuana-induced paranoia and chronic psychotic disorders, not to mention car-related injuries and deaths due to drivers being high on the drug.

Concerns are growing even in cannabis frontier states like Colorado, which along with Washington became the first state in the country to legalize the recreational use of the drug through a ballot initiative 14 years ago. Reports emerged last month revealing that state officials are increasingly failing to enforce safety protocols on an industry that has mushroomed into well over $1 billion per year. One test performed on 15 randomly selected marijuana products picked from dispensary shelves found that “four products would have failed state limits for yeasts and mold, one by more than six times the state limit.” In addition, four products were found to have high levels of coliform bacteria, “which signals unsanitary conditions in the grow or in storage,” and four were found to contain the chemical components of pesticides.

Experts like Jeff Hunt, a Colorado resident and former chairman of the Western Conservative Summit, say that most Coloradans no longer support full legalization of the drug.

“There’s very few people in Colorado that look at the decision to commercialize marijuana and believe it was a good decision,” he contended during “Washington Watch” Friday. “Now, 14 years after we did it, this has destroyed our state in so many ways, from marijuana related traffic fatalities to youth using marijuana to babies being born with marijuana in their systems. Everywhere you go, you have to smell pot, whether you’re driving down the road or going into downtown Denver. It has destroyed Colorado.”

Hunt went on to argue that 2012 “was part of really the turning point that took Colorado into a very progressive, godless direction — a lot of people point back to that decision to commercialize marijuana. And here’s what people really need to understand about this. This is not just ‘we’re not going to put you in jail for having a joint in your pocket’-type of stuff. This unleashed [a] $1 billion industry on our state that went out there and sought to get as many people using the drug as they possibly could. … [T]hey have unleashed a monster upon the nation by allowing marijuana to be commercialized.”

Hunt further reflected that even for liberal establishment outlets like The New York Times, reality is hard to ignore.

“For years [the NYT was] promoting the idea that marijuana was harmless — ‘Oh, if we just commercialize it, we can tax it. It’s not that bad.’ And reality has hit them in the face [with] what this drug actually does to people,” he emphasized. “We’re seeing an increase in psychosis, schizophrenia. And then there’s this weird sickness where people vomit a lot from smoking marijuana, and that’s impacting hospitals. You’re seeing kids get poisoned as a result of marijuana.”

As Hunt highlighted, the NYT editorial is an indication that there is a growing movement toward regulation of an industry that is still largely the Wild West. “[T]hey’re at least heading in the right direction of, let’s put some more regulations on this, because THC, the drug in marijuana that gets you high, has no restrictions on it. And these marijuana companies have got it so pure and so potent that it’s almost like a crack cocaine version of marijuana. And they’re selling that in stores in places like Colorado, and it’s having a devastating impact.”

Hunt also underscored how other states are seeing the results of cannabis legalization in blue states and are seeing huge warning signs. “[They] look at Colorado, California, and New York [and are saying] ‘We don’t want any part of that.’ … You have more cartel activity. You have people crashing their cars as a result of being stoned and driving, and then it leads to all these other drugs. … 10% of all the fentanyl pills in America are coming through Colorado right now, so it unleashes a drug culture.”

To make matters worse, Hunt continued, “[T]obacco companies are coming back into the marketplace utilizing marijuana to reach kids [and] get them hooked and addicted and using the drug. … [I]t’s now become [a] $1 billion industry that has been pushed upon our kids that people don’t want to see anymore. In fact, the marijuana industry is making as much revenue … as Starbucks is right now. And with all the challenges our kids are facing, this is just another hurdle that we have to deal with as parents.”

“[N]obody in Colorado likes this anymore,” Hunt insisted. “In fact, I think we could repeal it if there was a vote today on it. But this is part of the MAHA agenda. … We want to make America healthy again. Pot isn’t going to help that, and people want to live healthy lives. So it’s turning around.”