A Mother’s Cry of Pain for her Adult Son – Pot and Mental Illness

December 30, 2015 Leave a comment

Mental Illness and Smoking Marijuana – The Connection is Real

I am the mother of 2 sons. My eldest is 30 now and has been in and out of psychiatric hospitals for about 7 years. He has been in trouble with the law several times, as a result of this he can’t drive. He lives at home, but makes it his purpose to blame us for everything wrong in his life even though all we have done is given him many opportunities to change.

All he wants to do is to smoke pot all day. He says it helps, but we watch him and we know it doesn’t help at all.

I am realizing every day that he is manipulating us. He acts so crazy, by walking in circles, opening and closing the door 50 times a day.

My husband and I feel alone. We feel we are at the end of our rope. In his mind, we are part of a conspiracy. When I ask him why we would try to hurt him, he doesn’t know what to say. It only makes us have the responsibility to care for him and burden ourselves into not getting on with our own lives.

Last time he was in the hospital they sent him home after 2 days. He was the same or worse than when he went into the hospital. This is the health system that destroys lives to save money. God help all the parents that are experiencing mental illness in their homes with no hope.

Please seek consultation with a psychiatrist who is certified for addictions treatment. Please check out the sources found on the American Society of Addiction Medicine website. If he ever used marijuana before showing signs of mental illness, it is possible that his primary problem is marijuana addiction. If not, his marijuana use is compounding the problem and making it impossible for him to be helped. Our hearts go out to you and any parents suffering this problem or the problems of addiction.

Colorado, News Articles

Colorado Leads States in Youth Marijuana Usage

December 18, 2015 Leave a comment

Colorado now leads the country in past-month youth marijuana use, after legalizing marijuana in 2012. The state claims this dubious distinction after being in third place in the 2012-2013 report, and in fourth place in the 2011-2012 study. This information comes from the most comprehensive federal government drug use survey conducted in all 50 states (and the District of Columbia)

In addiction, Colorado has the 8th highest drug overdose death rate in the country. The rate has risen in a great deal in past decade, showing that legalization of pot doesn’t stop other drug usage and may in fact lead to other drug use.

“Move over, Rhode Island. Now that Colorado has legalized and widely commercialized marijuana, their children use marijuana regularly more than children in any other state,” remarked Dr. Kevin Sabet, President of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and a former White House drug advisor.

“In Colorado especially, Big Marijuana has been allowed to run wild, and it appears that kids are paying the price more than in any other state in the country.”

Other states that have legalized marijuana finished in the top six: the District of Columbia (4th), Oregon (5th), and Washington state (6th). Vermont and Rhode Island are in 2nd and 3rd place.

Colorado has become the show place for the marijuana industry with many, many commercial stores that sell edibles. “Like Big Tobacco, marijuana companies put their bottom line before public health. It’s time we stop this new industry,” said Sabet.

For more information about marijuana use and its effects, see http://www.learnaboutsam.org.

While other drug usage is going down among youth, marijuana use is staying constant. There is a growing number of daily pot users — 6 percent of all high school seniors. For this 6 percent, the future is bleak unless they get over it fast.

Drug Policy

Youth Marijuana Use Remains High, Other Drug Use Down

December 17, 2015 Leave a comment

The nation’s annual school survey of drug use, Monitoring the Future (MTF), shows marijuana use among adolescents,
including heavy marijuana use, remaining stubbornly high and significantly higher than in 2008 — despite reductions across the board among the other three substances kids use most.

Daily Pot Use 3x the rate of Daily Alcohol Use Among High School students

In fact, 6 percent of 12th graders are daily marijuana users and 3 percent of 10th graders use pot every day. For comparison, daily alcohol use among 10th graders is 1/2 of 1%. Among 12th graders, it is 1.9%, 1/3 the rate of daily pot use. Continue reading Youth Marijuana Use Remains High, Other Drug Use Down →

Colorado, Testimonies

Colorado’s Pot Greed and My Son’s Psychiatric Hospital Surprise

December 13, 2015 Leave a comment

Marijuana Keeps Psychiatric Hospitals in Colorado Busy

(Excerpts edited from a letter written by a Colorado resident to the state’s marijuana regulatory board. If you are a Colorado resident with a similar story, please write [email protected] and we will get you into a group of parents who are dealing with similar, urgent problems.)

When Colorado’s Amendment 64 passed, my son and his friends celebrated it. They wrote 4/20 all over their bodies and clothes. He was only 12, and now he’s 15. I was familiar with the problems with smoking marijuana and educated my son about it. However I was not prepared to deal with a near-death experience due to him smoking marijuana.

My husband and I were not aware that my son started smoking marijuana and eating THC-laced edibles when he was in 8th grade. He had his first suicide attempt in January 2014 over a break up with a girl. My husband and I thought he was just broken-hearted. He started spiraling down a dark path of mental Continue reading Colorado’s Pot Greed and My Son’s Psychiatric Hospital Surprise →

Parents Opposed to Pot