Posted on May 7, 2024 View all news
My son graduated near the top of his large high school class; he excelled in many things, especially the sciences. He scored 5/5 on his AP Psychology Test and did equally well in college, earning his Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and accepted into a doctoral program. He was proud of his many accomplishments and engagement with his long-time girlfriend. He was far down the path to success in life, and we, as parents, did not worry about our successful, ambitious, well-adjusted son who showed no signs of mental illness growing up.
But then he began vaping a lot of Delta-8 during the COVID-19 pandemic. He became withdrawn and eventually psychotic. He believed that cameras were watching him and that people whose cars had Texas license plates were sending him signals. He was fearful of electronics and stopped using his phone and television. He saw colors and heard voices that told him to just get in his car and drive, even though he had no destination. He disappeared for a week, and we had no idea where he was. He tried to fix his problems through prescription medications, some of which fueled his problems much further. His fiance eventually left him, his educational plans fell apart, and we (his parents) had to bring him home to live with us again, like a child.
After three-plus years of intensive (and expensive) medical treatment and abstaining from Delta 8 (which was hard – Delta 8 is so addictive!), our son is in recovery. While he is better, he is a long way from his baseline.
Even though my son lost so much due to his addiction to Delta-8, including his big career aspirations, the love of his life, and, most importantly, his mind, his story is considered a success among those many young people who have experienced psychosis after using Delta-8. For many of them, their lives are not productive (i.e., they don’t hold jobs), they are not able to engage with other people, and it appears that their psychosis has become a permanent state of being despite having been on antipsychotics AND abstaining from further Delta 8 use. This reality is terrifying.
When psychosis doesn’t end, the diagnosis becomes schizophrenia. Our society cannot AFFORD – literally cannot afford the cost – of caring for more schizophrenic people who typically cannot work and who usually require expensive, intensive care. If you need just one good reason to BAN Delta-8, the fact that it induces psychosis in people is more than enough.
Concerned mom from Nebraska
