John and I were on the news last night sharing Johnny’s story! Reporter Jordan Chavez from 9News Denver came across my post from two weeks ago with 16,000+ shares about “what is dabbing?” So he came to our home yesterday and filmed a segment on teen suicide and high-THC marijuana use! We are so thrilled to have the dangers of high-potency weed on the developing teenage mind shared so broadly!
In the segment, Dr. Payal Kohli, 9Health Medical Expert says, “There’s a higher rate of schizophrenia and psychotic disorders in those who use marijuana.” The story did, however, take some liberties in somehow associating the anxiety Johnny experienced as a young teen with his suicide. Johnny did not die from depression! He died from paranoid delusions from the schizophrenia caused by high-potency, high-frequency cannabis use. In the journal he left for us, he wrote he was not depressed and spoke of his hopes and dreams. However, he did think the mob and the FBI were after him, and “the whole world knew every single thing about him.”
I am NOT talking to those of you who smoke weed legally if you’re over 21, or those who use it successfully for medical purposes. This is about CHILDREN smoking weed and the impact on the forming brain. So, if you say something mean about my son’s death on my page, I will block you and delete your comments.
The segment mentions several studies are underway, but there IS proven research that shows marijuana use as a young adult changes the still-forming brain. Here’s just one, but there are many.
Parents, educate yourself! This is not the pot smoked in the 70’s and 80’s! If you do not know what the terms, “Shatter, wax, dabbing, and high-potency” mean, you can watch this disturbing video on how marijuana distillates are made. If your teens are “vaping,” you need to know if they are smoking nicotine or dabbing marijuana. The devices can look the same, so they can be dabbing high-potency wax under your nose. (CAUTION, this is a profanity-laced video.)
High-frequency, high-potency pot usage increases their odds for psychosis dramatically! “In the three sites with the greatest consumption of high-potency cannabis, daily use of high-potency cannabis was associated with the greatest increase in the odds for psychotic disorder compared with never having used: four times greater in Paris, five times greater in London, and more than nine times greater in Amsterdam.”
Also watch this video with Dr. David Rettew, MD, from January 29, 2020. He says marijuana is the substance with the biggest gap between the perceived and actual level of harm. He personally sees how cases of Cannabis Induced Psychosis (CIP) causes psychotic thinking, paranoia, delusions, and hallucinations. He says people can recover from these episodes, but if they don’t see the link between the psychosis and the pot and go back to smoking, one day, their brains don’t bounce back any more. This is what happened to Johnny. He says 34% who become psychotic while using marijuana convert to schizophrenia. He also points out the higher risk of suicide, which is triple for young cannabis users. He says the evidence that cannabis is bad for the brain is quite strong, going beyond simple association studies that strengthen the case for causality, and that up to 50% of psychosis can be prevented.
The cannabis industry is not ready to acknowledge these significant risks and are not ready to take responsibility for illegal use by our children. So, it’s incumbent on us parents and grandparents and loved ones to open our eyes and talk to our young adults. Don’t be caught unaware like I was!!! Please share this news segment on your page and your groups to keep anyone else from losing their young ones to suicide from using pot.