Explains the behavior of the 60's radicals currently occupying the hallways of power in the leftist Congress...
Just a hunch, but I suspect it explains a lot more than that. I continue to be puzzled by the irrationalism, hatred, conspiratorial thinking, and aggressive stupidity that has become more-or-less mainstream on the left. This is not politics as usual, and it's been getting worse over time. I hasten to add that I wouldn't put it all down to drugs, but I have had a sneaking suspicion for some years now that drugs may be a significant contributing factor.
Obviously there are many exceptions in both directions: a scattering of conservatives who use regularly as well as a presumably larger number of leftists who are sober. That said, if a significant proportion of the population is habitually intoxicated and if the various drugs of abuse tend to produce psychotic symptions, one would expect to find wide-ranging effects, and not just in the emergency rooms.
I presume that all of us are familiar with the drug use statistics among criminals. I am pretty sure what we would find if we drug tested long-term welfare recipients. I suspect we would find strong correlations as well if we tested people at the polling places. I do not think the incidence of drug abuse is randomly distributed across the political spectrum, and I do think it is large enough to have measurable effects at the level of political dynamics. The political divide today perhaps runs deeper than differences on the issues.
Let me close by saying that I do not approach this subject with a holier-than-thou attitude. While I have no personal experience with marijuana or any other illegal drug, I used to drink. A lot. I got sober the usual way and in the process spent enough time in recovery circles to come to believe that the epidemic of drug abuse is big enough to have such consequences. Perhaps I am overreacting to that experience but I don't think so.