Hello, Johnny’s Ambassadors! Did you know in a few weeks, teens and young adults around the world will celebrate 420 DAY? Do you know what 420 Day is and why it’s meaningful in marijuana culture? And more importantly, do you know where your teen will be at 4:20 PM on Tuesday, April 20?… Read the rest
The Fodder of Lies: Marijuana Use and Mood Disorders
By Laura Stack
Despite evidence to the contrary, many marijuana users choose to believe their favorite drug works as a viable medicine for all kinds of ailments, physical and mental. Pro-marijuana web sites love to promote marijuana as an “alternative medicine,” good for whatever ails you, just as their Big Tobacco and snake oil predecessors did with their products.… 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
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
Recognizing the Marijuana Harm Gap
By Laura Stack
With more states legalizing marijuana, it’s incumbent upon us as loved ones, parents, grandparents, counselors, teachers, and concerned adults, to protect the vulnerable. Marijuana isn’t legal until 21 years of age, and there’s a good reason for that—it harms the developing mind when used during adolescence.… Read the rest
Top Ten Teen Toking Tip-Offs
By Laura Stack
Is your teenager using marijuana? In this era of easy access to weed, that’s an important question.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) just released the 2019 Annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), the most comprehensive survey on drug use.… Read the rest
How Does Marijuana Influence Adolescent Brain Development?
By Laura Stack
The cartoon of Johnny aiming for a mailbox with a bat while driving in the back of a speeding car pretty much depicts the lack of judgment characteristic of a yet-undeveloped adolescent prefrontal cortex.
As America’s #1 most-used illicit drug and #2 most-popular substance after alcohol, marijuana has been subject to a wide battery of medical studies over the past few decades.… Read the rest
Is Marijuana Addictive?
By Laura Stack
I’ll start by answering the question in the title. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, YES, marijuana can be addictive. Marijuana use can lead to the development of problem use, known as a marijuana use disorder or THC abuse, which takes the form of addiction in severe cases.… Read the rest
Talking to Your Kids About Drugs: Part 2 — Young Children
By Laura Stack
Like so many important topics, it’s hard to pinpoint the perfect time to have “The Drug Talk” with your kids. You don’t need to worry about the tiny tots, since they’re rarely out of an adult’s supervision. But many experts suggest you do begin talking to your kids about drugs when they are fairly young.… Read the rest
Johnny Is Back as a Cartoon to Explain to His Ambassadors What Dabbing Is
Please Share with Your Teens
By Laura Stack
I’m delighted to announce that through your contributions to our new nonprofit, Johnny’s Ambassadors, JOHNNY has come to life as a cartoon and is ready to do something important in this world! Our mission is to educate parents and teens about the dangers of adolescent substance abuse and help parents have conversations with their children.… Read the rest