Marijuana may be treated like a harmless recreational drug — but its effects can be devastating.

“There are people who say that it’s really helped them,” Allie Beth Stuckey says. “I’ve also talked to some medical professionals who say that medical marijuana is not a thing.”

While Stuckey believes weed dims the potential of users and renders them fat and lazy, that’s not her only issue with the drug.

Not only is marijuana one of the most used drugs in the U.S., it has a horrifying effect on some people who are otherwise told it’s a harmless drug.

In one study published in May led by researchers from the University of Toronto, it was found that there was an 11-times higher risk of developing a psychotic disorder among teenagers who used cannabis compared with those who did not.

When the analysis was limited to just emergency room visits and hospitalizations, there was a 27-fold increase in psychotic disorders in teenagers who had used marijuana.

In separate Danish and British studies, a link was found between heavy marijuana use and psychiatric disorders such as depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.

Several other studies reflect similar findings, while doctors have begun sounding the alarm on marijuana use and psychosis.

“It’s not harmless, it’s not innocent, it causes all kinds of problems, and as I said, it can lead to the use of drugs, and with the availability, accessibility of drugs today because of their legality, you are setting your child up for failure,” Stuckey tells parents who might believe that weed isn’t an issue.

The drug is especially dangerous now that a lot of it is laced with fentanyl, which Stuckey says is a “consequence of open borders.”

“THC levels in marijuana have been getting stronger for decades, so it’s not the same, it’s not the same as what you saw maybe 30 years ago when it really was just ski bums getting a little high,” Stuckey says.

Want more from Allie Beth Stuckey?

To enjoy more of Allie’s upbeat and in-depth coverage of culture, news, and theology from a Christian, conservative perspective, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.