Laura educates about the harms of youth THC use at community conferences and events comprised of parents, business leaders/owners, elected officials, non-profit staff, recovery community, faith community, educators, and anyone who works with youth. She is generally the opening keynote speaker.
“Thanks again for your honest and impactful presentation yesterday morning for our students and during the evening for our parents. Many of our teachers said this was the best assembly we’ve ever had at Cathedral! God bless you for your outstanding communication and how you helped all of us as we influence our youth and actually save many of their lives!”
– David L. Worland, Senior Vice President for Mission and Advancement, Cathedral High School, Indianapolis, IN
“Dear Laura, I just finished listening to the webinar you did for us and had to take a moment to thank you. Thank you for your passion and persistence. This webinar was the best I have ever attended. The information you shared was priceless, practical, and will save lives. There were so many takeaways for me but this one says it all: “Silence implies permission.” Your passion has re-ignited my passion to not be silent about marijuana and the many other issues we address. I am so sorry for your loss of Johnny, an amazing son! Thank you for sharing his life with all of us.”
– Jean Schumm, President & Founder, Operation Parent
Title: The Dangerous Truth About Today’s Marijuana: Johnny Stack’s Life and Death Story
Description
Laura Stack’s 19-year-old son, Johnny, died by suicide on November 20, 2019, after becoming delusional from dabbing high-THC marijuana concentrates. Soon afterward, Laura started a 501c3, Johnny’s Ambassadors, to educate parents and teens about the dangers of today’s high-THC marijuana on adolescent brain development, mental illness, and suicide.
In this session, Laura will share the story of Johnny’s marijuana addiction from a parent’s point of view, a poignant chronicle of the shocking descent from innocence to eventual suicide. Before marijuana, Johnny was a computer whiz with a 4.0 GPA and a perfect math score on the SAT. After marijuana, he stole his family dog from the home and threatened to kill it without payment from his mother. With moving candor, Laura traces the first warning signs, their attempts at rehabilitation, her desperation, and his eventual demise. Three days before his death, Johnny issued his own warning about marijuana usage. Through this tragic tale, Stack hopes to use her pain to help parents talk to their children about the dangers of today’s high potency THC products. (If you are a parent who thinks this talk doesn’t apply to you, because “that would never happen to my child,” you need to hear this story, because that’s exactly what Laura thought.
Adolescence is a period of brain refinement, especially in regions associated with reward, cognitive function, and emotionality. Laura’s real-life story is backed by current scientific and clinical research on how youth THC use has an increased association with psychiatric conditions such as anxiety, depression, paranoia, psychosis, and sadly, suicidal ideation. This presentation is a clarion call for adults across America to educate themselves about the risks of today’s high potency THC products and to better understand the potentially devastating effects on youth mental health.
Objectives
- See the High Potency THC Products Used by Today’s Youth (vapes, dabs, smokes, edibles)
- Learn About the Human Endocannabinoid System and How THC Makes You High
- Discover How THC Interferes with Adolescent Brain Development
- Understand How Adolescent Marijuana Use Can Lead to Mental Illnesses and Psychosis
- Learn About the Connection Between Youth Marijuana Use and Suicidality
- Recognize If Your Teen Is Using and Learn What To Do About It
Laura’s presentation titles may be changed to fit your conference theme or her topic focus.
“We recently had the opportunity to welcome Laura Stack to our campus to speak with parents, faculty, middle school students, and high school students and could not have been more impressed. Laura is a compelling and engaging public speaker and the information she shared was developmentally and age appropriate for each group. The combination of scientific-based research and the passion and heartbreak of Laura’s personal story led to three separate assemblies in which the audience was fully “locked in” to this critically important content. The feedback from parents and students was incredibly positive and having worked in education for more than 30 years, I can easily rank Laura among the very best outside speakers I have heard. If you can bring Laura to your campus, you will not regret it!”
– Chris Cleveland, Head of School, Wesleyan School, Atlanta, GA
“Thank you so much for speaking with our school and parent communities last week. We are already seeing the fruits of your talk! On Friday, we spent half of the school day debriefing from your talk and practicing refusal skills. Students have given the feedback that they appreciated the scientific approach of your talk and that it hit just the right note of being both compelling and focused on facts. I thought your talk was fantastic, and delivered in a way that guaranteed teenagers were receptive to it. We have had productive group and individual conversations, and students seem freer to talk about THC use and to express concerns to and about each other. You have given us a gift! Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and wisdom with us. Please be assured that you remain in our prayers. Thank you.”
– Krissie Betbeze, M.Ed., LCSW, Director of Personal Counseling, St. Cecilia’s Academy, Nashville
“We had Laura Stack speak to a gathering of our parents and students, and she was fantastic. Her presentation was a blend of her own family story with current data and trends. Throughout the presentation, Laura was engaged with the audience, using photos, studies, and even current legislation to paint a picture for our audience. The Q&A went on for a long time and people stayed for nearly an hour to talk more after her presentation concluded.”
– Prentice Stabler, Head of School, Ensworth Academy, Nashville TN