Many teens are getting their hands on weed vapes and other marijuana products. It is becoming a worldwide pandemic. The drugs are getting more potent by the day, and many teens have been getting sick, with visits to the emergency room becoming more and more common.
The amount of the chemical in marijuana that causes changes in the brain, mood, and feelings, known as THC, has skyrocketed in marijuana products over the last couple of decades. In 1995, the THC concentration in marijuana was approximately 4%. It grew to nearly 17% in 2017. In 2022, the amount of THC in some weed products is over 95%, with manufacturers now bringing other weed products such as edibles and wax to the market.
Elysse was 14 when she got her first vape. She described it as having “insane euphoria.”
Elysse recalled that, “Everything was moving slowly. I got super hungry. Everything was hilarious.” But she started taking too much weed with higher potency. Within the duration of two hours, Elysse counted at least 20 times where she vomited. She was also having gloomy thoughts and would cry in her room for hours at a time. “I felt so trapped…This is not fun in any way anymore.” Elysse had to take multiple trips to the emergency room for stomach illnesses.
Marijuana’s availability throughout the country has risen as states have begun legalizing it.
Using any sort of weed product for recreational activities is legal in 19 states and Washington DC. It is legal for medical uses in 37 states plus DC. The only states that have enforced upper bounds on the THC concentration in weed products are Vermont and Connecticut. However, there is little information to prove that these guidelines will be effective and efficient. There seems to be no clear “upper bound” on the amount of THC that can exist in a weed product.
When Laura Stack discovered that her son Johnny was using marijuana, she said, “oh well, it’s just weed. Thank God it wasn’t cocaine.” When she was a teen, she had used marijuana on occasion. But she never gave it much thought, under the mentality that, “I used it, I’m fine, what’s the big deal?” She had no idea that weed has become much more potent over the decades. In the beginning, her son didn’t have any problems with marijuana at all. He was outstanding in school. When he started using high potency weed products, Ms. Stack noted that he would be “completely delusional.”
Johnny had so much anxiety that he thought everyone was out to get him. He was suspicious of everyone around him and was mistrustful. Johnny also had crazy conspiracy theories, like the college was a base for the FBI. He pressured the family into giving him money, holding the family dog as ransom. He jumped off a six-story building and died when he was only 19.
A study found that the chances of having psychotic disorder was five times higher within high potency marijuana users. Another study published in 2021 found that in 1995, only 2% of people who had schizophrenia were marijuana users, but the number had grown up to 8% in 2010.
Dr. Michael McDonnell, an expert at addiction treatment at Washington State University says the evading drug usage would be the best course of action for most teens, but some might need a different explanation to their problems. He recommended that it would be most optimal to have open discussions with teenagers about their drug addiction and warn them about high potency marijuana products.
“I think that’s something we’re all struggling with as a community,” said Dr. McDonell, “How do we get this information to parents and kids fast enough?”
The amount of the chemical in marijuana that causes changes in the brain, mood, and feelings, known as THC, has skyrocketed in marijuana products over the last couple of decades. In 1995, the THC concentration in marijuana was approximately 4%. It grew to nearly 17% in 2017. In 2022, the amount of THC in some weed products is over 95%, with manufacturers now bringing other weed products such as edibles and wax to the market.
Elysse was 14 when she got her first vape. She described it as having “insane euphoria.”
Elysse recalled that, “Everything was moving slowly. I got super hungry. Everything was hilarious.” But she started taking too much weed with higher potency. Within the duration of two hours, Elysse counted at least 20 times where she vomited. She was also having gloomy thoughts and would cry in her room for hours at a time. “I felt so trapped…This is not fun in any way anymore.” Elysse had to take multiple trips to the emergency room for stomach illnesses.
Marijuana’s availability throughout the country has risen as states have begun legalizing it.
Using any sort of weed product for recreational activities is legal in 19 states and Washington DC. It is legal for medical uses in 37 states plus DC. The only states that have enforced upper bounds on the THC concentration in weed products are Vermont and Connecticut. However, there is little information to prove that these guidelines will be effective and efficient. There seems to be no clear “upper bound” on the amount of THC that can exist in a weed product.
When Laura Stack discovered that her son Johnny was using marijuana, she said, “oh well, it’s just weed. Thank God it wasn’t cocaine.” When she was a teen, she had used marijuana on occasion. But she never gave it much thought, under the mentality that, “I used it, I’m fine, what’s the big deal?” She had no idea that weed has become much more potent over the decades. In the beginning, her son didn’t have any problems with marijuana at all. He was outstanding in school. When he started using high potency weed products, Ms. Stack noted that he would be “completely delusional.”
Johnny had so much anxiety that he thought everyone was out to get him. He was suspicious of everyone around him and was mistrustful. Johnny also had crazy conspiracy theories, like the college was a base for the FBI. He pressured the family into giving him money, holding the family dog as ransom. He jumped off a six-story building and died when he was only 19.
A study found that the chances of having psychotic disorder was five times higher within high potency marijuana users. Another study published in 2021 found that in 1995, only 2% of people who had schizophrenia were marijuana users, but the number had grown up to 8% in 2010.
Dr. Michael McDonnell, an expert at addiction treatment at Washington State University says the evading drug usage would be the best course of action for most teens, but some might need a different explanation to their problems. He recommended that it would be most optimal to have open discussions with teenagers about their drug addiction and warn them about high potency marijuana products.
“I think that’s something we’re all struggling with as a community,” said Dr. McDonell, “How do we get this information to parents and kids fast enough?”
