Tyler Shamash (1999-2018)
My name is Juli Shamash, and my son Tyler suffered from addiction and ultimately died in the bathroom in a sober living facility at age 19 from ingesting fentanyl.
Tyler was extremely bright, could hack into any computer, built computers, and could fix anything. He was curious, helpful, and kind. He would end every conversation by telling me that he loved me. People always liked Tyler. He would always forgive friends when they did something to hurt him. He had very mild Asperger’s and severe ADHD. If he was interested in something, he would research it on his own and find out everything about it, just like he did with marijuana. He knew every strain, how to grow it, and which was the best bong.
In California, we’ve had medical marijuana for a long time, and it’s usually symbolized by the Green Cross. Tyler was always curious about this cross. When he was 9 years old and found out what it was, he wanted to go to a dispensary. He started smoking marijuana when he was 12 or 13. I assumed it was non-addicting and harmless, not realizing that the marijuana of today is so much stronger and affects the developing brain. He was using it for anxiety and it soon became not enough, so he started dabbing. He made dabs at home using my blow dryer. That lead to codeine cough medicine.
Had Tyler known the health warnings, it may have kept him from ever trying marijuana and becoming addicted to it. We took him to a wilderness program, therapeutic boarding school, detoxes, treatment places, and sober living. He was then introduced to smoking heroin by two girls he liked. He always said he didn’t need other drugs but would smoke cannabis until the day he died.
Tyler, like almost all opioid users, started with marijuana. Everyone (including children) is being exposed to cannabis advertising without seeing health warnings or information. This continues to occur as products become more potent and hazardous. There is a fundamental lack of understanding of the potential harm of marijuana. It’s really important that marijuana products contain labels outlining the risks, so people can make informed decisions about its use. I wish I had known the risks when Tyler started using marijuana. Perhaps if I had, he would still be alive today.