Posted on February 14, 2024 View all news
Before my son started vaping marijuana, he was a good student and athlete. He was well-liked by peers and teachers alike. People gravitated towards him–he had a kind smile and a calming presence.
Unfortunately, my son, like many others, came to a point during his teenage years where he doubted himself and was depressed. He self-medicated with THC vapes and dab pens. He couldn’t control himself. The THC was very addictive, approaching concentrations of 90%. He started using them all day, every day. He would steal our credit cards and deal THC vapes to his friends to support his habit.
Needless to say, his grades dropped, and he stopped going to school. He started becoming aggressive at home to the point where I had to call the police to protect myself. Things culminated at school when he violently assaulted another student. He is no longer allowed on school property. He lost all his friends.
He has undergone extensive therapy and is currently undergoing residential treatment. This has cost us thousands of dollars not covered by insurance. We cannot see our son because he is far away in another state where the age of consent to psychiatric treatment is higher.
Our family is heartbroken.
We live in Pennsylvania and dread the march towards marijuana legalization. Politicians want the revenue from legalization to fund schools. They seem to be ignoring the fact that our students are suffering from mental health issues and substance use, in part worsened or caused by marijuana. So, these extra funds from the sale of marijuana are a futile attempt to help the same students.
They also don’t seem to understand that our underage kids can easily get marijuana in schools, stores, and online. They get it from older friends and adults who think that marijuana is safe. They easily hide it–you can’t smell THC vapes, and they are the size of a pen or smaller. Many parents don’t know their kids are vaping THC until it is too late. Legalizing marijuana would make it even more accessible.
I am also horrified at the increase in violent crimes that seem to involve marijuana use. Most recently, there was a horrific beheading of a man in our state by his son. The son had a medical marijuana card and was not known to be violent. There needs to be more research regarding high-potency THC and its effects on mental health.
Our story isn’t over…we hope every day that our son gets better. He may never recover from the damage THC has done to his brain. Every day, he will have to face reminders of THC when he finishes treatment. This will be an uphill battle for us, but we hope we can change things for future generations.
Pennsylvania mom
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