The younger the age that a youth starts drugs, the faster they will develop addiction. Cannabis use disorder (CUD—marijuana addiction) for youth ages 12 to 17 was 10.7% if using for less than one year and 20.1% if using for more than three years. The prevalence of CUD was higher than alcohol use disorder in this age group. JAMA Pediatric 2020, IASIC
Young people (when their brains are still developing) who use marijuana are four to seven times more likely than adults to develop cannabis use disorder (CUD). IASIC
Marijuana addiction among youth ages 12 – 17 is 25% higher in states with recreational stores.
Our son was happy and healthy before he started using marijuana at age 14. A friend introduced him to marijuana during a time when our family was supporting my wife in her fight against breast cancer. We noticed David changing rapidly, but attributed the change to puberty. After being kicked out of the private school…
Tyler was a sweet, friendly, super smart, and super talented young man. He loved animals, gaming, skateboarding, drawing & painting, and was a talented musician. He was a straight A student, with a 100% on his ACT math scores, until his marijuana use started affecting his grades, and his will to care. After high school,…
Cannabis, a supposedly harmless plant, led to our daughter Catherine Mayberry’s death at the age of 24 on October 8th, 2022. Catherine was a perfect kid up until age 18 – social, smart, athletic, creative, and hardworking. In 2016 at the age of 18, Catherine went off to college at the University of Minnesota and…
Be Extraordinary, Be You. July 17, 2021, 1:26 AM: “My attitude with the music and everything has been way too self-righteous. I am done with the music. I’m quitting weed for good and want to surround myself with healthy and happy people. This has been too much for me and for you guys. I have…
Johnny Stack was born on February 7, 2000, and died by suicide on November 20, 2019, at the age of 19. He was an incredibly intelligent, funny, charming, handsome young man, which you can see in his tribute video at https://johnnysambassadors.org/tribute. We are a regular suburban family that did regular family things. He had a happy…
When you bury a child, you die with them. Yet you still wake up each morning and somehow have to function in your “new” normal. I’ve always considered myself as “politically” correct so when marijuana became “medicine,” I didn’t think it would ever affect my life. It’s too late for me and many other parents…
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…
My younger son, Andy Bauer, ended his own life in September of 2018. I couldn’t understand at that time how my son, a young man with everything going for him, could take his own life. Andy was an amazing young man. Like many others have described their loved ones, Andy was very intelligent and loving. …