Adult/Parent Version
Title: The Dangerous Truth About Today’s Marijuana: Johnny Stack’s Life and Death Story
Description
Laura Stack’s 19-year-old son, Johnny, died by suicide on November 20, 2019, after becoming delusional from dabbing high-THC marijuana concentrates. Soon afterward, Laura started a 501c3, Johnny’s Ambassadors, to educate parents and teens about the dangers of today’s high-THC marijuana on adolescent brain development, mental illness, and suicide. In this session, Laura will share the story of Johnny’s marijuana addiction from a parent’s point of view, a poignant chronicle of the shocking descent from innocence to eventual suicide. Before marijuana, Johnny was a computer whiz with a 4.0 GPA and a perfect math score on the SAT. After marijuana, he stole his family dog from the home and threatened to kill it without payment from his mother. With moving candor, Laura traces the first warning signs, their attempts at rehabilitation, her desperation, and his eventual demise. Three days before his death, Johnny issued his own warning about marijuana usage. Through this tragic tale, Stack hopes to use her pain to help parents talk to their children about the dangers of today’s marijuana. Participants will hear a first-hand account of the death of a teen from marijuana use and be educated on the harms of marijuana on adolescent brain development, mental illness, and suicide. Laura’s real-life story is backed by recent scientific-based research on how today’s potent THC products lead to mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, paranoia, psychosis, and sadly, suicidal ideation. This presentation is a clarion call for parents across America to educate themselves about the risks of today’s high-THC marijuana products and to better understand the potentially devastating effects on youth mental health.
Objectives
- Learn About the High-Potency Marijuana Products Used by Today’s Youth
- Discover the Effect of THC on Adolescent and Teen Brain Development
- See the Results of Legalizing Medical Marijuana for 18-Year-Old’s in Colorado
- Understand How Adolescent Marijuana Use Can Lead to Mental Illness and Psychosis
- Understand the Connection Between Marijuana and Suicide in Youth
Laura’s presentation titles may be changed to fit your conference theme or her topic focus. Here are some previous presentation titles:
- A Parent’s Worst Nightmare: How My Son Died from Marijuana Psychosis
- Saving Our Youth from the Harms of Marijuana: Adolescent Brain Development, Mental Health, and Suicide
- Legalized Marijuana’s Impact in Colorado: the Experiment on Our Youth and Bill 1317
- The Gifts of Grief: How I Survived My 19-Year-Old Son’s Suicide
