WHAT COULD GO WRONG? Weed Is the New Booze.

Stoners these days aren’t only smoking joints in cars like in “Dazed and Confused,” though that habit certainly hasn’t disappeared. Now, it’s increasingly popular to enjoy cannabis-infused beverages, which include seltzers, teas, lemonades and mocktails with varying blends of THC and CBD depending on the desired vibe (social, relaxation, sleep, focus). Cannabis gummies are all the rage for young people, offered in fun colors and flavors reminiscent of Sour Patch Kids. Gwyneth Paltrow, Seth Rogen, Mike Tyson and other celebrities have invested in products or launched their own. Some fitness gurus promote microdosing to enhance the workout experience.

But advocates glide past the health risks. Long-term cannabis consumption is linked to reduced activation in brain regions responsible for attention, decision-making and memory. For those who start young, chronic use leads to an average permanent IQ loss of 5.5 points—and you don’t get them back when you quit. One meme criticizes pot’s popularity by suggesting that the slow-paced Middle Ages was defined by “stoner societies”—cannabis was common in some medieval European and Middle Eastern cultures. By contrast, the memesters claim, bustling Renaissance era cities were “alcoholic societies.”

Of course, binge-drinking also harms productivity. The fear is that the weed frenzy will produce a generation of bleary-eyed slackers who aren’t capable of doing more than a medieval peasant. The cannabis being consumed today is much stronger than in the past. In the 1960s through ’80s, THC content was less than 2%. Now, the cannabis industry has developed strains of marijuana with THC concentrations as high as 28%.

Flashback: Second Thoughts on Pot: “‘Yeah, they all smoke.’ ‘Well . . . other things too, right?’ ‘Sometimes. But they all smoke.’”