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
NEW Presentation by Laura Stack for Older High School and Higher Education Students!
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
Parents of Children with Cannabis-Induced Psychosis (CIP) – Episode 20: He became very angry
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
Rewired realities: novel insights into the neurobiology of cannabis use disorder and psychosis
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
Parents of Children with Cannabis-Induced Psychosis (CIP) – Episode 19: She believed the lie
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
Johnny’s Ambassadors FREE eBooks
Johnny’s Ambassadors two books, The Dangerous Truth About Today’s Marijuana: Johnny Stack’s Life and Death Story, and The Impact of THC on Our Children: A Parent’s Worst Nightmare are FREE on eBook from Aug. 20-24, 2025.
Parents of Children with Cannabis-Induced Psychosis (CIP) – Episode 18: His life revolved around THC
My son started using marijuana at the age of 15.
Before any judgment begins, yes, we always had conversations about drugs. My son grew up in a home without drugs, alcohol, or smoking.
In 2015, he left for college in Oklahoma, and unbeknownst to me, obtained a medical marijuana card online.… Read the rest
Impact on Mental Illness: The Role of Social Deprivation and Cannabis Use in Explaining Variation in the Incidence of Psychotic Disorders: Findings From the EU-GEI Study
In 2018, a group of European researchers observed, from a statistical analysis of the European Network of National Schizophrenia Networks Studying Gene-Environment Interactions (EU-GEI) study, that first-episode psychosis (FEP) varied widely among geographic regions in Europe. The original study appeared in the January 2018 issue ofJAMA Psychiatry.… Read the rest
Parents of Children with Cannabis-Induced Psychosis (CIP) – Episode 17: He was Unrecognizable
My 23-year-old son struggles with Cannabis-Induced Psychosis. He began smoking THC regularly at age 15. I thought cannabis was safer than alcohol so was not alarmed at first. Then, his school performance declined, and despite our pleas to stop, he became increasingly erratic and addicted.… Read the rest
Parents of Children with Cannabis-Induced Psychosis (CIP) – Episode 16: My Kid is Gone
When people ask me about my son before he started using THC, I try not to get emotional. But the truth is, my kid is gone. It’s been 28 months since he went into psychosis, but it feels like a lifetime.… Read the rest