Have you ever heard of Cannabis Induced Psychosis? Until 2 years ago, I had not. THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, caused devastating effects for our family. And I want you to become more educated about it, so you can avoid the same problem.
My son was a great student, in the top 7% of his class, National Honor Society, a fantastic musician, and Vice-President of his high school band. His use of THC started at age 22, after college graduation. He first ate chocolate infused with THC, and then he ate gummies, smoked cannabis, and eventually began vaping.
Within 8 months, he was using daily and was addicted. He developed irrational beliefs, delusions, and hallucinations, and his roommate began calling him psychotic. His behavior was so strange, we thought he might have schizophrenia. But our family has no history of mental illness, and he didn’t have pre-existing mental health issues.
He began seeing “signs” about his delusional beliefs, got involved with scammers, and gave all his money away, which is how we found out what was going on. We tried for 11 months to get him to seek help and finally resorted to using the Marchman Act in Florida to get him into treatment.
He was diagnosed with Cannabis-Induced Psychotic Disorder. He worked through a dual-diagnostic program for eight and a half months. His therapists told him he is lucky he did NOT convert to a long-term diagnosis, such as bipolar or schizophrenia. Time will tell, but he is NOT the same person he was prior to his THC addiction.
He never used any other drug except THC. He said he used THC because, in his own words, “It was ‘legalized’ by the loophole in the 2018 Federal Farm Bill.” He is, like many in our country, a victim of the cannabis industry’s long-existing misinformation campaign. The fact that cannabis causes psychotic symptoms has been known and written about since 1845.
Today’s high-potency THC products are very strong, psychoactive, and addictive. Millions are addicted and are left with devastating mental and physical effects, which taxes our already overwhelmed mental health systems and plays a role in increased violent crimes.
Please think about my son’s story BEFORE you start using and risk your own health and future. Your brain is worth infinitely more than the money the cannabis industry makes on your addiction. You are simply a dollar sign for the THC industry. They have no concern for the harm caused by their products.
Cannabis-Induced Psychosis can happen to anyone: younger teens and older young adults, like my son, since your brain is forming into your late 20s.
Cannabis-Induced Psychosis is REAL. It happened to my child. Educate your child on the harms of THC at JohnnysAmbassadors.org.
If you’re concerned about your child’s THC use, visit JohnnysAmbassadors.org/parents and join our private Parents of Children with Cannabis-Induced Psychosis (POCCIP) group at www.facebook.com/groups/POCCIP.