I knew weed wasn’t good for the brain. I was never interested in it, nor wanted any of my children to use it. But until three months ago, I had no idea how truly horrible this drug was.
My 18-year-old son used to be social, funny, outgoing, and a fabulous athlete, until a friend at school gave him a THC vape. At first, I had no idea. But he quit sports, became socially withdrawn, and started to struggle with school.
I discovered his vape use and naturally attempted to get him to stop. He began to get in trouble with the law and exhibit strange behaviors.
When this happened, it was devastating. But I attributed these behaviors to being high. I created consequences, set boundaries, practiced tough love, and prayed that my son outgrow this “phase” and eventually give up marijuana.
I wish I knew then that the THC was actually damaging his brain, but the addiction for profit industry does a pretty good job of convincing the public that marijuana is a playful, innocuous drug.
Let me tell you, it’s not.
My son was struggling to hold a job, arguing with me and his siblings, withdrawing from activities, and having a hard time doing basic tasks he’d never struggled with before. When wouldn’t even come out of his room to celebrate Christmas, I knew something terribly wrong, but it was worse than I’d ever imagined.
After a horrible, scary episode, I took dramatic action to force my son to be seen at the hospital, where he was diagnosed with Cannabis Induced Psychosis.
I had never heard of it!
My son’s brain has been damaged, and even though he is now totally clean from marijuana, and any other drug for that matter, he suffers from the horrible symptoms of this heartbreaking condition: paranoia, confusion, hallucinations, jumbled speech, and cognitive impairment, just to name a few.
I wouldn’t wish this journey on my worst enemy.
Cannabis Induced Psychosis is REAL. It happened to my child. Educate your child on the harms of THC at JohnnysAmbassadors.org.
If you’re concerned about your child’s THC use, visit JohnnysAmbassadors.org/parents and join our private Parents of Children with Cannabis-Induced Psychosis (POCCIP) group at www.facebook.com/groups/POCCIP.