My son started using marijuana at the age of 15.
Before any judgment begins, yes, we always had conversations about drugs. My son grew up in a home without drugs, alcohol, or smoking.
In 2015, he left for college in Oklahoma, and unbeknownst to me, obtained a medical marijuana card online. For the next few years, he crisscrossed the country as a day laborer. His entire life revolved around THC—how to use it and test clean if and when he was drug tested. He ended up in the emergency department several times.
In the summer of 2021, the delusions and paranoia began. His trauma was projected on the females in his life, and he was desperate to protect them. He believed his Uncle dragged him out of a hotel and was going to sell him into sex trafficking. He accused other family friends of horrible acts. He would sleep with a machete.
I literally had no idea what was wrong with him. Sadly, this was very real to him, and he was finally admitted to a mental health facility. At the time, I had not heard of Cannabis-Induced Psychosis, so I accepted his diagnosis of schizophrenia.
In less than a year, he was admitted to seven mental health facilities. Our mental health system is broken—it’s a revolving door.
He wouldn’t take the antipsychotic prescribed for schizophrenia, but interestingly, when he stopped using THC, he started getting better. That’s when I learned about Cannabis-Induced Psychosis and now understood his psychosis was caused by the high potency THC products he was using, not schizophrenia. He went back to college and relapsed again and then quit again. Currently, he’s not in psychosis. He has a fulltime job and is saving his money to go back to school.
My son’s Cannabis-Induced Psychosis is one of the worst nightmares this mama heart has ever experienced. My son will never be the same, and I’m grieving the loss of who my son could have been before he started using THC.
Trust me, Cannabis-Induced Psychosis is REAL. I know because 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.