The story of Andy Zorn, a veteran and paratrooper who served two tours in Iraq, brings attention to the problem of cannabis use disorder and suicide. He died on March 1, 2014 at the age of 31. The previous week he told his mother that he really needed to quit marijuana to live.
His suicide note read: “Marijuana killed my soul + ruined my brain.” In September 2014, Lancet Psychiatry published research showing that teens between the age of 13-17 who heavily use marijuana are 7x more likely than non users to attempt suicide.
Although Andy was older when he died, he started using marijuana at 14, as many teens do, to fit in. After he returned from his two deployments, he was recommended medical marijuana and used it. Despite the obvious bravery he displayed during his time in the Army, he was troubled during the last 5 years of his life. He had been diagnosed with Severe Cannabis Use Disorder.
This website arises out of the work and vision of Renee’ Barchitta, late of Roxbury, NY. She passed away peacefully on January 24, 2025, following her battle with cancer, aged 73.
The website is dedicated to Renee’ and her tireless victims advocacy work— both as a professional and as a volunteer.
Renee’ worked for over 12 years as the Coordinator/Educator of the Delaware County Stop DUI Program. A nationally recognized Highway Safety advocate recognized by the National Highway Safety Administration, she was appointed in 2000 as a Highway Traffic Representative by the New York State Governor’s Traffic Safety Commission. Renee’ also served as Editor of the New York State Traffic Safety Journal, “Stop Signs.”
Renee’ started the project in 2021 when New York state legalized marijuana. She compiled stories of marijuana victims found in the news and on websites. From her previous work, Renee’ knew cannabis to be a factor in many traffic deaths, but the number of deaths from other related problems, including cases of suicide, proved to be much higher than anyone was acknowledging.
In order to help localities make informed decisions about allowing cannabis stores, Renee provided information on the victims and printed booklets for the towns and cities of New York. The content on this website can be downloaded onto a thumb drive and made available for duplication.