by Bart Bright
My son, Kevin, died by suicide on August 14, 2018. He was 29.
The last articulate words I heard him speak were, “Cannabis has ruined my life.” He suffered many episodes of Cannabis Induced Psychosis, a diagnosis in the DSM-5. Over the last two years, I have communicated with hundreds of parents whose children have suffered from Cannabis Induced Psychosis.
In Colorado in 2017, marijuana was present in the blood of 32% of suicides, ages 15 to 19 according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. My friend Laura Stack lost her son to suicide, also. He suffered from CIP and days before he jumped to his death he told Laura, “Mom, I just want you to know you were right. …You told me marijuana would hurt my brain. Marijuana has ruined my mind and my life. I’m sorry, and I love you.” Laura wrote a book called “The Dangerous Truth about today’s Marijuana.”
Woodstock pot was about 2-3% THC. Today, many young people are Vaping and Dabbing 70 to 90% THC, every day! (Note: Many places in Europe consider anything over 15% THC a hard drug.)
It’s not “Just Pot” anymore…
Resources
- Free eBook: Is Your Child or Spouse Using? Signs of Drug Use
- Support: Johnnysambassadors.org/parents– resources on how to find help for you and your child
- Support: MarAnon and MarAnon Meetings– Support for family members who have a child using THC
- Information/Resources: Substance Misuse/Addiction resources
- Information/Resources: Everybrainmatters.org
- Information/Resources: iasic1.org– Iternational Academy on the Science and Impact of Cannabis
- Study: NCBI- Cannabis-induced psychosis study
- Study: Harvard Health Publishing- Teens who smoke pot at risk for later schizophrenia, psychosis–
- Article: Very Well Mind- Can Marijuana Cause Psychosis?sis: A Review
- Article: Marijuana: Facts parents need to know (National Institute of Health)
- Article: Does marijuana use increase teen suicide risk?
- Article: Mental health care fails at addiction treatment, Part 2
Free ebook: Signs of Drug Use
Learn what I wish I’d known before I lost my son to drug-related suicide. By Anne Moss Rogers