My son was at a rehab in December after being admitted three times to mental hospital for weed induced psychosis. Each time he was diagnosed with Bipolar and put on antipsychotics and mood stabilizers. Nobody on either side of my son’s family has bipolar.… Read the rest
The DSM-5 Mental Disorders Associated with Cannabis Use Disorder
By Laura Stack
In my writing, I often focus on the mental effects of marijuana use, since it caused psychosis in my son, Johnny, and ultimately destroyed his life. A recent 2020 study in the journal Addictive Behaviors indicates that people who use cannabis have a 1 in 5 risk of developing a CUD.… Read the rest
Recognizing Cannabis Withdrawal Syndrome (CWS)
By Laura Stack
Like all Substance Use Disorders, Cannabis Use Disorder comes with a suite of telltale withdrawal symptoms. Indeed, Cannabis Withdrawal Syndrome (CWS) is a clinical indicator of CUD, and it’s one of the factors that’s convinced most health care professionals marijuana is, in fact, addictive.… Read the rest
Marijuana Usage and the COVID-19 Pandemic
By Laura Stack
In recent years, we’ve seen gradual increases in marijuana use among the younger segments of the population, including adolescents and tweens. This may be linked to the increased legalization and decriminalization of marijuana across the United States, and the associated perception that it’s not an especially dangerous drug.… Read the rest
Geoff R. – January 5, 2021
My son Daniel was a wonderful boy. Growing up, he was everything you can ask for in a child. Sadly, after my divorce it affected him, he started using marijuana sometime in 2018. We didn’t find out about the THC oils until he had a breakdown.… Read the rest
Cannabis-Use Physical Disorders: The Forgotten Side of Marijuana Abuse
Today’s potent marijuana is a nasty drug. Due to selective breeding and post-harvest processing, the active ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), can comprise upwards of 40% of herb marijuana and more than 90% of shatter, wax, and other Butane Hash Oil (BHO) products.… Read the rest
Can My Teen Recover from a Substance Use Disorder? Part II
One result of the abuse of an addictive substance can be a Substance Use Disorder, or SUD. SUDs are primarily psychological ailments, though they may have physical effects if the user’s brain has suffered damage from the substance abused. A SUD can prove harder to recover from than a physical injury, and though they usually can’t be seen, the scars they leave are real and often permanent.… Read the rest
Recovering and Healing from a Substance Use Disorder, Part I
By Laura Stack
My last article on Cannabis Use Disorder garnered a lot of shares on social media, so I wanted to continue that thread and discuss what experts say about your child recovering and healing from a Cannabis Use Disorder.… Read the rest
The Straight Dope About Cannabis Use Disorder
By Laura Stack
Let’s be blunt, shall we? In the short term, marijuana doesn’t have the overdose potential of heroin and cocaine. Clearly, hard narcotics are very dangerous to your health, with readily visible outcomes. Marijuana seems tame by comparison—in the short term, anyway.… Read the rest
Our Allies in the Fight Against Marijuana
If you’re a regular visitor to Johnny’s Ambassadors blog, you no doubt know Johnny’s story, and the stimulus for my fight against marijuana use by young people. For those who may read this in other venues and don’t know me, I’m a concerned, grieving mother, who is active in the movement to discourage young people from using marijuana in any form until their brains are formed—and hopefully never.… Read the rest