Saving Our Youth from the Harms of THC
Both 420 Day and 710 Day are unofficial holidays among the cannabis-using community. 420 Day is Weed Day, and it takes place on April 20, which celebrates everything related to cannabis and cannabis use. 710 Day is Dab Day on July 10, and it encourages dabbing concentrates such as wax, shatter, and budder.… Read the rest
Three years ago, on November 20, 2019, my beloved 19-year-old son, Johnny died by suicide after becoming psychotic from dabbing high-potency marijuana wax. We miss him so much.
Every day, I wake up and put on my figurative grief backpack. It used to be very heavy, and it’s gotten easier to bear over the years, but I always wear it.… Read the rest
The so called weed of yesterday is just as bad. I wasted my 20s smoking the stuff before I gradually phased it out of my life in my 30s as I realized I didn’t really enjoy the way the stuff made me feel.… Read the rest
I just listened to the Michael Savage episode that you were on recently. Your story made me cry and your bravery makes me proud. I’m a 70 year old man who smoked marijuana for a year from early 1975 to early 1976. … Read the rest
Over the past few decades, we’ve learned that some parts of the human brain continue to develop until at least the age of 25 in women and 28 in men. Heavy exposure to marijuana before this age can negatively impact brain development, resulting in damage affecting many bodily and mental functions.… Read the rest
My son was diagnosed with schizophrenia just over a year ago and not long after survived a suicide attempt directly after vaping marijuana concentrate. He spent nearly two weeks in the hospital and underwent multiple surgeries (with more to come). While I understand it is a complex illness with multiple risk factors, I strongly believe my son’s schizophrenia- and very clearly his suicide attempt- were caused by marijuana.… Read the rest
My son is home just today from his first two months of freshman year of college. Super heavy THC vaping many times a day for a long time, maybe four years. He has terrifying anxiety in the afternoon hours, nausea, problems eating and swallowing if not high, talks about a darkness and depression that is like being in a trap, a dark room with no door and no hope of any light.… Read the rest
My son in now a paranoid schizophrenic due to dabbing/using wax and marijuana since in high school. He is now 30, just diagnosed in May 2022 after a breakdown in full psychosis. He is now on psychotic meds, meds for night terrors, and multiple anxiety meds.… Read the rest
One trade-off we humans suffer for our intelligence is brains that aren’t as well-developed as they could be when we’re born. Otherwise, our heads would be too big for the birth canal. Therefore, unlike most large mammals, many of which can walk and seek food within days or hours of birth, human infants are helpless.… Read the rest
Hi, my name is Melissa Altom. I’m a family physician in Aurora, MO and I have 2 teenage sons. About 2 years ago, I read Johnny’s story, which moved me deeply, and began receiving your emails. I told my sons about Johnny and had them read his story and watch Johnny’s tribute video.… Read the rest