The shiny packaging and storefronts made it look safe. Grace grew up in Colorado as legalization took hold, where dispensaries and medical cards normalized access for teens and reframed weed as a healthy, natural, risk-free choice. What followed wasn’t a mellow haze—it was an escalation to high potency THC concentrates, dependency, and a terrifying slide into cannabis-induced psychosis. Grace opens up about the vacant eyes in old photos, the constant vape in her pocket, the paranoia that kept her in her dorm, and the shock of experiencing psychosis even after quitting.

We talk about how “regulated” can still be risky when potency is the problem, and how the social ecosystem of weed—friends, routines, identity—makes stepping away incredibly hard. Johnny’s death forced a painful reckoning. Reading Laura Stack’s book gave Grace the language to see what was happening, to admit she needed help, and to seek intensive outpatient treatment, psychiatric care, and medication that finally steadied her life. She shares the moments of resistance, the grief, and the relief that comes with telling the truth out loud and becoming your own hero.

Today, Grace co-leads Together, Johnny’s Ambassadors’ virtual group for young adults who’ve experienced or want to prevent cannabis-induced psychosis. We explore how small wins rebuild confidence: reclaiming hobbies, finding non-using friends, and practicing simple steps like showing up with your camera on. If you’re a parent, educator, or young listener, you’ll get practical insight into recognizing warning signs, navigating care, and keeping hope alive. Recovery is real. Potency matters. Community saves lives.

For the parents out there who might have a teen or young adult ready to explore recovery learn more about the Together group at johnnysambassadors.org/together.

Follow PAN and SAM:

PAN:
https://parentaction.network/
https://x.com/parentactionSAM
https://www.facebook.com/parentactionnetworkSAM

SAM:

https://learnaboutsam.org/
https://x.com/learnaboutsam
https://www.facebook.com/learnaboutsam

The story starts where many do: a belief that cannabis is a natural, low-risk helper. Anne, a former budtender and longtime user, walks us through how that belief shattered inside a “medical” dispensary—mold on flower, out-of-state synthetics, and a relentless push toward high-THC concentrates that looked nothing like the mellow plant older generations remember. What begins as a dream job turns into a personal and professional reckoning with 98% THC dabs, frightening behavior in customers, and her own descent into psychosis and addiction before she pulled herself out.

We dig into the difference between legacy cannabis and today’s engineered market: contamination concerns, heavy metals drawn from soils into plants, and industrial shortcuts that put profit over safety. Anne explains how complaints were brushed aside, how agencies slow-walked or deflected reports, and why a veneer of “medical” language can hide aggressive sales targets for concentrates. We connect this to broader public health signals—DSM-5 recognition of cannabis use disorder and cannabis-induced psychosis, the rise of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, and ER trends that challenge the old “harmless” narrative. Along the way, we confront culture shifts like canna-mom content and the idea of sativa for hustle and indica for sleep, reframing them as a sign of normalization rather than wellness.

Policy threads run throughout. We weigh the risks of rescheduling without meaningful guardrails, the unintended consequences of the 2018 Farm Bill and hemp-derived intoxicants, and the spread of gray markets amid weak enforcement. Most of all, we ask what responsible regulation looks like now: potency caps, independent contamination testing, transparent labeling, age-gating with teeth, and closing loopholes that deliver high-THC isomers outside regulated channels. Anne’s survival and sobriety bring urgency and hope—proof that telling the hard truth can change minds and, with community support, move policy toward real health protections.

If this conversation resonates, subscribe and share it with someone who needs to hear it.

Follow PAN and SAM:

PAN:
https://parentaction.network/
https://x.com/parentactionSAM
https://www.facebook.com/parentactionnetworkSAM

SAM:

https://learnaboutsam.org/
https://x.com/learnaboutsam
https://www.facebook.com/learnaboutsam

Join Crissy and addiction counselor and host of the Reality Therapy Podcast, Ryan Rodgers, as they discuss marijuana addiction and today's high potency products. The first hit felt like relief-that’s the twist Ryan Rogers unpacks with raw honesty: marijuana didn’t crash his life overnight—it slowly replaced it. No brutal hangover, no flashing red lights. Just drifting grades, fading drive, a new identity built around a ritual that felt sacred and safe. Until it wasn’t. We sit with the messy middle—how a “mild” drug can be the most alluring, how promises to quit crumble, and how families watch a love affair with THC eclipse everything else.

From there we widen the lens. Texas may reject adult-use legalization, but loopholes flood shelves with Delta-8, Delta-10, and THCA. Walk into a gas station and you’ll find a wall of psychoactive choices stronger than what Ryan used at his worst. That confusion extends to enforcement and to youth, who meet modern THC in candy coatings, not peace pipes. We challenge the “it’s just a plant” script, compare standardized FDA-approved cannabinoid medicines to dispensary products, and ask who’s actually using today’s THC. Ryan’s answer is blunt: mostly bored young men searching for meaning, not patients seeking targeted therapy.

The heart of the conversation is recovery that actually works. Ryan rejected “California sober” after learning how weed quietly reopens doors to drinking and stimulants. Instead, he embraced abstinence, the 12 steps, service, and faith, and now counsels men at Heartwood Recovery Center. He sees two common tracks for cannabis-only users: stagnation in a haze or gradual escalation. The antidote is structure, community, and a new story about sobriety—not as punishment, but as an upgrade. We share victories that rarely make headlines: packed meetings, degrees finished, careers launched, friendships rebuilt, families healing. And we offer parents and young adults a clear message: high-potency THC carries real risks, but there’s abundant hope when you take the next right step.

If this conversation resonates, share it with a friend, colleague or subscribe for more candid stories and evidence-based insights.

Follow PAN and SAM:

PAN:
https://parentaction.network/
https://x.com/parentactionSAM
https://www.facebook.com/parentactionnetworkSAM

SAM:

https://learnaboutsam.org/
https://x.com/learnaboutsam
https://www.facebook.com/learnaboutsam

The battle against recreational marijuana legalization in Pennsylvania has reached a critical point as Senate Bill 120 advances through the legislature. This alarming proposal could fundamentally change Pennsylvania communities by introducing what many experts consider the most industry-friendly, public health-adverse cannabis legalization bill in America.

Dan Bartowiak, Chief Strategy Officer for Pennsylvania Family Institute, takes us through the troubling evolution of marijuana policy in the state. What began as a narrowly focused medical program in 2016 has morphed into a system with minimal oversight where three doctors alone have prescribed over 11,000 medical marijuana cards in a single year. Rather than addressing these existing problems, legislators are pushing full commercialization that would dramatically expand access and potency.

The current proposal contains provisions that should concern every Pennsylvania parent and community member. Unlike most states that cap THC concentrates at approximately 100mg per package, SB120 would allow up to 1,000mg – an amount that poses serious physical and mental health risks, especially to young people. The bill fails to establish meaningful potency limits and, most alarmingly, would prevent municipalities from opting out of having marijuana dispensaries in their neighborhoods.

Behind this aggressive push are not families or community advocates but well-funded industry interests. While medical marijuana campaigns featured patients and families, today's legislative hearings are dominated by corporate representatives and lobbyists advocating for a model that prioritizes profits over public health. As one legislator tragically noted from personal experience, his brother's death spiral began with marijuana use in high school before eventually leading to a fatal overdose in his thirties.

Pennsylvania's legislative process means citizens must work through their elected representatives rather than ballot initiatives. Join the many PAN Pennsylvania families, already fighting alongside Dan, to educate your legislators and advocate against this dangerous bill. If you're concerned about protecting your community from the well-documented harms of commercialized marijuana, join PAN and learn how to effectively each out to your state senators and representatives. Besides joining PAN at pan@learnaboutsam.org you can also visit pafamily.org/truthonweed or contact dbart@pafamily.org to join the effort ensuring public health takes precedence over industry profits.

Follow PAN and SAM:

PAN:
https://parentaction.network/
https://x.com/parentactionSAM
https://www.facebook.com/parentactionnetworkSAM

SAM:

https://learnaboutsam.org/
https://x.com/learnaboutsam
https://www.facebook.com/learnaboutsam

A steady marriage, a decorated service record, and a belief that cannabis could help—until the household began to fracture under the weight of rage, paranoia, and sleepless nights. We sit down with an anonymous wife from Hawaii who once backed legalization and even held a medical card herself. Her perspective shifted as dispensary “choice” replaced dosing guidance, and her husband’s PTSD collided with high-potency products like dabs, vapes, and edibles. What began as evening use grew into a constant drip of THC that reshaped personality, strained friendships, and forced a separation for safety.

We walk through the pivotal moments: the ransacked bedroom that signaled a tipping point; the confusion over whether cannabis could really cause such volatility; the attempts to seek help through the VA, Mar-Anon, and Thrive; and the hard-earned lessons about boundaries and enabling. Along the way, we explore how today’s cannabis marketplace blurs the line between “medical” and retail, offering potency without standardized dosing, minimal counseling, and branding that speaks louder than warnings. For veterans already navigating trauma, anxiety, and complex medication profiles, that gap can be devastating.

This story isn’t an attack on research-backed cannabinoid medicines for narrow conditions. It’s a clear-eyed account of what happens when policy and marketing outpace clinical guardrails—when families are told “it’s natural” while dosage, potency caps, and drug interactions remain afterthoughts. If you care about mental health, veteran well-being, and honest public health messaging, you’ll find both urgency and empathy here. Listen, share with someone who needs it, and help push the conversation toward real oversight and safer choices.

Follow PAN and SAM:

PAN:
https://parentaction.network/
https://x.com/parentactionSAM
https://www.facebook.com/parentactionnetworkSAM

SAM:

https://learnaboutsam.org/
https://x.com/learnaboutsam
https://www.facebook.com/learnaboutsam

A quiet family routine shattered the night their son came home after landing his first job and started saying things that made no sense. By dinner, the question was terrifyingly simple: aneurysm or psychosis? What followed wasn’t a single event but a cascade—another son in crisis two months later, more than two dozen hospitalizations, and years of residential care across multiple states. Through their story, we unpack the difference between legacy marijuana and today’s high-THC concentrates, why dab pens and wax evade detection, and how cannabis-induced psychosis can erase the idea of a “rock bottom.”

We talk frankly with Dave and Sarah about costs most headlines ignore: emptied retirement accounts, endless clinical bills, and the emotional tax on siblings. The family shares what finally moved the needle—abstinence, readiness, and the right medication. Clozapine, paired with steady support, helped one son reach a year of sobriety and stability with a bipolar diagnosis now in the mix. Alongside treatment details, we chart the networks that shorten the learning curve. Johnny’s Ambassadors offered validation and resources; SAM’s Parent Action Network turned lived experience into policy impact, helping stall a recreational bill in Pennsylvania by centering real-world harms and healthcare costs.

We also tackle loophole markets like delta-8, normalization in convenience stores, and the gap between “medical” branding and true medical evidence. Additionally, Dave, an army veteran calls out the aggressive marketing of high-THC products for PTSD, warning that numbing pain can derail real care. If you’re navigating high-THC risks, seeking help for a loved one, or ready to move from grief to action, this conversation offers hard-won tools: where to start, what questions to ask, and how to tell your story so lawmakers listen. Subscribe, share with someone who needs it, and contact Parent Action Network if your interested in joining the fight!

Follow PAN and SAM:

PAN:
https://parentaction.network/
https://x.com/parentactionSAM
https://www.facebook.com/parentactionnetworkSAM

SAM:

https://learnaboutsam.org/
https://x.com/learnaboutsam
https://www.facebook.com/learnaboutsam

The quiet devastation of cannabis-induced psychosis remains one of the most misunderstood public health crises of our time. Once a normal family with three sons, Pennsylvania mom, Jen's world changed when her oldest began using marijuana in eighth grade. While she viewed it as typical teenage experimentation, even ultimately helping him obtain a medical marijuana card, what followed was a parent's worst nightmare - paranoia, psychosis, and thirteen hospitalizations that transformed her bright, ambitious child into someone unrecognizable.

Initially she equated his marijuana use with alcohol experimentation until she started noticing her son used alone to self-medicate, and "fit-in". After her husband's unexpected death, her son's marijuana use accelerated, leading to paranoia and psychosis. The funny, smart boy, his siblings looked up to had disappeared. "We all looked up to him," Jen shares with raw honesty. "When he was four, he knew every country on the map. You could point to any country on the globe and he would say the name of it... Now he can barely read. He can barely watch a TV show because he cannot stay attentive to it."

This powerful conversation exposes the stark reality of today's high-potency marijuana products, which bear little resemblance to the marijuana of previous generations. Even as medical professionals diagnosed her son with every psychiatric condition imaginable - bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder - they failed to recognize the connection to his marijuana use. One doctor even recommended medical marijuana for his anxiety symptoms, completely unaware of his history of cannabis-induced psychosis.

Jen's journey from passive observer to fierce advocate offers crucial insights for parents, healthcare providers, and policymakers. After connecting with Johnny's Ambassadors, a support group for families affected by marijuana-induced psychosis, and ultimately Parent Action Network, she transformed her approach - writing to judges, arranging interventions, and educating medical professionals about the risks most refuse to acknowledge. Given the buzz around Pennsylvania as legislators push to legalize recreational marijuana in the Commonwealth, Jen is more empowered than ever to continue the fight!

While her son is now in recovery, living at home and slowly rebuilding his life, the road remains challenging. Perhaps most heartbreaking is his continued denial that marijuana caused his condition, despite overwhelming evidence. "He still does not believe it was from marijuana," Jen explains. "I show him pictures of himself and videos of himself before and during... I know he feels a lot of shame."

If you're concerned about a loved one using marijuana or experiencing similar challenges, connect with Parent Action Network to share your story with our nations leaders. Share this episode with healthcare providers, educators, and policymakers who need to hear these stories before making decisions that affect our communities.

Follow PAN and SAM:

PAN:
https://parentaction.network/
https://x.com/parentactionSAM
https://www.facebook.com/parentactionnetworkSAM

SAM:

https://learnaboutsam.org/
https://x.com/learnaboutsam
https://www.facebook.com/learnaboutsam

What happens when marijuana addiction tears through a family's peaceful existence? Monica's powerful testimony reveals the devastating journey her family has endured since her son first encountered marijuana in high school.

Before marijuana entered their lives, Monica's son was thriving—an athletic hockey player with excellent grades and ambitious dreams of becoming a mechanical engineer for Formula One. His transformation from a motivated, engaged student to an aggressive, struggling teen happened with alarming speed. Monica shares with raw honesty how she an her husband witnessed the decay of their only son's life and their happy existence as a family.

The podcast delves into how marijuana legalization messaging permeates the school environment, with her son repeatedly bringing arguments about marijuana's supposed safety to the family dinner table. Monica exposes how the system failed her family when her underage son somehow obtained a medical marijuana card without parental knowledge or legitimate medical need, highlighting serious regulatory failures that put vulnerable youth at risk.

Perhaps most heartbreaking is Monica's description of their family's retreat into isolation: "We as a family end up like oysters... It's no birthdays, no Christmas, no parties." The conversation illuminates the profound loneliness parents experience when navigating a child's addiction, and how connecting with other affected families through advocacy networks has become Monica's lifeline.

After years of struggle including homelessness, car crashes, and jail time, there's cautious hope as her son at just 20 years old, is now three months clean and preparing to enter a sober living facility. Monica leaves listeners with urgent advice: "Open your eyes, understand this business and the implications... Pay attention, check the backpacks of the children, have conversations."

Have you witnessed how marijuana is affecting families in your community? Join Parent Action Network to share your story with legislators and help create meaningful change to protect our children's futures.

Follow PAN and SAM:

PAN:
https://parentaction.network/
https://x.com/parentactionSAM
https://www.facebook.com/parentactionnetworkSAM

SAM:

https://learnaboutsam.org/
https://x.com/learnaboutsam
https://www.facebook.com/learnaboutsam