My son took his life on Aug. 7, 2021. He was 33 years old – had a Medical Marijuana Card and was using a lot from November 2020- June 2021. He was living at home and struggling with failed financial investment business (three engineering degrees – master’s in mechanical engineering).… Read the rest
The Dirty Dozen #4: Marijuana Increases the Risk of Other Drug Usage
By Laura Stack
Of all the Dirty Dozen, #4 on the list may just have the highest number of people attempting to oppose marijuana’s role as a “gateway drug.” If you’re new to this community, a gateway drug is a habit-forming substance that, in some users, lowers the threshold that keeps them from using other addictive substances.… Read the rest
J.T. — August 8, 2021
Thank you, Laura, for organizing this walk and making this happen so we can help educate others and effect change in legislation. My son had 2 psychotic episodes and is now 22. My husband and I are both MDs and we were completely unaware of the high dose THC available and the many terrible health consequences.… Read the rest
The Dirty Dozen #3: High-Potency Marijuana and the Risk of Addiction
By Laura Stack
When 10-30%+ of all frequent marijuana users depend on it to get through the day, you have prima facie evidence that a substance is addictive. There’s plenty of scientific proof to prove this first impression for marijuana. Mental health professionals refer to marijuana dependency as Cannabis Use Disorder, or CUD, and it’s one of nine recognized Substance Use Disorders, right up there with those for tobacco and alcohol.… Read the rest
The Dirty Dozen #2: How Does Marijuana Affect IQ?
By Laura Stack
Welcome to the Marijuana Dirty Dozen article #2, where we review the second of twelve common impacts of marijuana use on adolescents: it decreases IQ. To put it simply, it makes you dumber. Johnny was an ace in math (he scored a perfect 800/800 on the math portion of the SAT as a junior in high school).… Read the rest
Catherine W — July 26, 2021
My daughter has been using Stizzy heavily; it’s 80% THC, and suffered cannabis induced psychosis. The last three months she has some level improvement but not much, and the day before yesterday, she decided to go out on her skateboard on a very busy street at midnight, and she was hit by a car.… Read the rest
The Dirty Dozen #1: Marijuana Dependence
By Laura Stack
As cartoon character Mr. Mackey once pointed out on South Park, “Drugs are bad, mmkay?” He’s right, despite his later experimentation with “mary-jew-onna.” And made no mistake: marijuana is indeed a drug. Don’t let anyone tell you different.… Read the rest
Betsy — July 23, 2021
My son graduated high school in 2013, he didn’t seem much different from the rest of his brothers except that he was hooked on hockey. He wanted to eventually play for the NHL. He and his father had a strategy on how to proceed.… Read the rest
Lisa B. — July 20, 2021
Yet another similar story. Our son (20 as well) became psychotic after ingesting a 50 mg edible on his birthday (6/10) while he was also going through a dab cartridge every few days. He became increasingly paranoid and angry (180 degree turn from his usual gentle nature) to the point where he was so aggressive I had to leave my own house. … Read the rest
CANNABIS PROBABLY DOES CAUSE SCHIZOPHRENIA
Guest post by Erik Messamore, MD, Johnny’s Ambassadors Scientific Advisory Board member
This article was originally published on Dr. Messamore’s blog.
PSYCHOSIS IS ONE OF THE OLDEST AND BEST-DOCUMENTED RISKS OF CANNABIS USE.
Associations between cannabis use and psychosis appeared in the medical literature soon after cannabis was introduced into Western medical practice in the 1850s.… Read the rest