Until college, he went through various addiction treatment programs. He had become so paranoid that he thought the mob was after him and that his university was the base of the FBI, Stack said. At one point, after moving out of his childhood home, he threatened to kill the family dog unless its parents gave him money. His mother later found out that Johnny had obtained his own medical marijuana card when he was 18 and had started dealing with younger kids.
After much treatment in psychiatric hospitals, doctors determined that Johnny had suffered severe THC abuse, Stack said. He was prescribed an antipsychotic, which helped – but then he stopped taking it. In 2019, Johnny died after jumping from a six-story building. Stack said that he was 19 a few days before his death, Johnny apologized to her, saying the weed had ruined his mind and life.
A recent study found that cannabis users have greater possibility have more suicidal ideas, plans, and attempts than people who do not use drugs at all. Ms. Stack currently runs a non-profit organization called Johnny’s Ambassador Educating the public about high THC cannabis and its effects on the adolescent brain.
There are no known safety limits.
It can be difficult to determine exactly how much THC enters someone’s brain when they use marijuana. That’s because it’s not just the frequency of use and the concentration of THC that affect the dose, but also the rate at which the chemical reaches the brain. In vaporizers, delivery rates can vary depending on the base THC is dissolved into, the durability of the device’s battery, and how warm the product is when heated.
The higher THC dose is more likely produce anxiety, agitation, paranoia and psychosis.
“The younger you are, the more vulnerable your brain is to developing these problems,” says Dr. Levy.
Adolescents are also more likely to become addicted when they start using marijuana before the age of 18, according to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
