A straight-A kid with a huge friend group doesn’t fit most people’s picture of a cannabis crisis, which is exactly why Steve’s story will stop you in your tracks. Steve from New Jersey joins me to talk about his son, Nick, and how a backpack find, and what first looked like sudden college anxiety unfolded into cannabis-induced psychosis and, tragically, a suicide that could have been prevented. Nick wasn’t “checked out” of life. He was working, social, and trying to do the right things, which made the warning signs easier to dismiss and harder to connect.

We walk through the timeline: the first anxiety at the end of Nick’s freshman semester, the pandemic disruption, a transfer to a better-fit school, and the moment Steve’s wife finds a backpack full of marijuana and paraphernalia. Steve shares what he didn’t know then about today’s high-THC marijuana, THC potency, and the potential mental health risks including paranoia, psychosis, and suicidality. We also talk about a brutal barrier families run into: when a young adult is legally an adult, treatment programs may not address cannabis use unless the patient names it, even when parents see clear patterns.

After Nick’s death, Steve explains how his family found information after hearing SAM's CEO, Kevin Sabet speak, and support through Laura Stack and Johnny’s Ambassadors, and why he now advocates with the Parent Action Network, showing up for Hill Days to meet with lawmakers and staffers educating on the harms of today's high potency products and advocating for public policies that protect our youth and communities from today's highly potent products. If you’re a parent, educator, clinician, or policymaker trying to understand cannabis-induced psychosis, teen mental health, and prevention, this conversation is honest, specific, and painfully instructive.

If this hits close to home, please subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more families can find these stories. If you're interested in sharing your story on Fortitude, or advocating with Parent Action Network, please reach out to Crissy@learnaboutsam.org or pan@learnaboutsam.org

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