Roxie Pacheco
My daughter is 24 years old and suffers from cannabis use disorder and cannabis-induced psychosis. We had her back for a short time, but the addictiveness of this drug has pulled her away from us once again.
Roxanne was a beautiful baby, and as she got older, she was very bubbly and her imagination was adorable. She danced with a local group and sang and starred in a Wizard of Oz key role for a theater play. Roxanne had one of her poems published and loved going on mission trips. She was very spunky, curious, and eager to explore her own life and help others. Roxanne worked as camp staff, and she loved the outdoors and interaction with children. She also loved to attend our Pow Wows and was proud to be part of her Native American culture.
After my daughter’s first use of high-potency marijuana, our family witnessed a pulling away and a mental separation/fogginess. We began to watch a decline in her life, and it seemed as though her goals and her drive for the future were fading away. When she started dabbing because of peer pressure and ease of access, she had several bouts of severe depression, paranoia, and uneasiness. This side effect of cannabis caused her to doubt her family’s intentions.
Since then, she has been in five different recovery programs, and we’re still paying for it. It has affected all of our lives, most importantly hers, in more ways than can be imagined. Our daughter has been in and out of emergency rooms on many occasions for the psychosis from cannabis use as well as the physical abuse she endured from the circle of people she was with, who took advantage of her while she was under the influence and unable to protect herself. Living in Colorado makes her recovery more difficult.
Our family has been devastated by heartbreak and longing to just see her safe, to just catch a glimpse of who Roxie really is. We have had thousands of sleepless nights due to her living in her car, constantly being robbed, beaten, and other traumatic events. All the phone calls, suicide threats, and the terrifying moments when you think, “Are these the last words I will have with her?” have left us beaten down and needing help ourselves.
Cannabis addiction and psychosis is like a raging wildfire speeding over our current and future generations. It has hurt our family badly. Stop it before the next family is yours.