Saving Our Youth from the Harms of THC
We are just $7000 shy of our $10,000 goal for our annual fundraiser open through the end of September to honor National Suicide Prevention Month. Can you help? CONGRATULATIONS to our top three Pet Parade winners, who raised the most money for Johnny’s Ambassadors!… Read the rest
It’s well established that cannabis use can trigger psychosis in young people susceptible to schizophrenia. Until January 2025,however, the origins of this trigger mechanism remained a mystery. With the publication of a new study by members of Canada’s McGill University Department of Psychiatry in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, this mechanism has become clearer — suggesting, among other things, new avenues for the development of medications to treat those with cannabis psychosis and related disorders.… Read the rest
By Laura Stack
Vaping was supposed to be a good thing. We know better now.
Some clever person invented electronic cigarettes—little vaping pens that heated nicotine-infused liquid and released it as a vapor (technically an aerosol), rather than smoke. Initially, vaping was perceived as a safer way to ingest nicotine; indeed, it was going to help many people quit smoking cigarettes.… Read the rest
Sadly, we are discovering more children being exposed to THC and other substances starting even in 4th and 5th grade! This was quite a conundrum, because Johnny’s story made them too sad. So, we decided to focus on resilience skills to create a substance-free life.… Read the rest
My son Jesse was always highly sensitive, kind, empathic, articulate, and affectionate. He loved physical activity, lived for social connection, and was a gifted musician. Everyone loved Jesse, and he had wholesome, beautiful friends.
In the last two years of high school, he was diagnosed as ADD and given medication.… Read the rest
From a young age, our Bilal was the kind of child people marvel at: compassionate, silly, talented, and brilliant. Graduating early and starting college at 16, he had more education, social engagement, employment experience, and mental health support than most young men his age.… Read the rest
Laura has developed a new THC prevention presentation for young people ages 16 to 22, for junior/senior high school and college students. This was developed by popular demand due to the rampant use of THC in college and the misnomer that it’s safe (the brain is still forming until 25-30 years old).… Read the rest
At 15, before his THC use, our middle son was happy-go-lucky, clever, handsome, and funny. Beloved by his family, with tons of friends. By 17, he became very angry and started isolating. We tried to talk to him, but he refused to engage.… Read the rest
CANNABIS USE DISORDER AND PSYCHOSIS: A DEVELOPING PROBLEM
Mounting epidemiological evidence indicates that the development of cannabis use disorder (CUD) may potentiate psychosis risk. Recent large-scale studies have shown a four-fold increase over the last two decades in the proportion of schizophrenia that can be attributable to CUD in Denmark (cited in [1, 2]) and a near tripling of CUD-associated psychosis cases in Ontario [2].… Read the rest
When my daughter was a college freshman, she was living at home, working, and taking classes toward her bachelor’s degree in psychology. She was always an artistic, extremely bright, and level-headed girl. Aside from the typical “bumps” in the road as a teenager, we enjoyed a close relationship as a family: going to church on Sundays, visiting theme parks, seeing movies, and traveling together often. All… Read the rest