3 years ago

Problems with our High Potency THC Marijuana From the Perspective of an Addiction Psychiatrist

Featured expert: Dr. Libby Stuyt, MD

ORIGINAL WEBINAR: SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

Handouts at https://johnnysambassadors.org/ja200911/

Description
 This talk is about the problems with our current marijuana, how it is not the same marijuana of the 1960s and 1970s. The “commercialization” of this drug has allowed the potency of THC to dramatically increase and has resulted in numerous problems. The talk will cover the science of addiction in terms that most people can understand and how the higher the potency, the more addictive it is and the more behavioral health problems occur as a result, especially if the use is started before the brain is fully developed (age 21-25).

Learning Objectives 

At the conclusion of this presentation, participants should be able to:
1. Understand how today’s marijuana is not like the marijuana they may have used in the past
2. Describe the effect of THC on the developing brain.
3. Discuss how addiction happens and how addictive drugs work in the brain
4. Discuss the role high potency THC cannabis plays in addiction, anxiety, depression, suicide, psychosis, violence, and cognitive impairment.

Speaker Bio 
Dr. Stuyt is a board-certified Addiction Psychiatrist and has worked in the addiction/behavioral health field since 1990. She was the Medical Director for the Circle Program, a 90-day inpatient treatment program, funded by the state of Colorado, for persons with co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse who have failed other levels of treatment since 1999. She retired from this position in 2020 and is currently motivated to educate as many people as possible on the un-intended consequences seen from the commercialization of marijuana in Colorado, focusing primarily on the deleterious effects of high potency THC on the developing brain and mental health.

Questions? Email Founder & CEO, Laura Stack, at Laura@JohnnysAmbassadors.org