Have you ever wondered what happens when marijuana legalization directly impacts your family? Meet Laura Stack, a Colorado mother who transformed her son's tragic suicide into a powerful movement for change and youth protection.
Laura Stack, founder of Johnny's Ambassadors, joins the Fortitude Podcast to share her heartbreaking yet inspiring journey after losing her 19-year-old son Johnny to suicide following years of high-potency marijuana use. With raw honesty, she reveals how Colorado's marijuana legalization in 2014 led to her son's first exposure at age 14 and traces his path toward mental health deterioration.
The statistics Laura presents are alarming: suicide is the leading cause of death for Colorado youth aged 15-18, with THC present in 35% of these cases—more than alcohol or any other substance. This episode pulls back the curtain on how Laura channeled her grief into actionable change, leading a parent coalition that successfully passed Colorado House Bill 1317 regulating marijuana concentrates. The results speak volumes: medical marijuana cards among 18-year-olds dropped from 6,000 to fewer than 1,000 after implementation.
Beyond policy, Laura and host Chrissy Groenwegen discuss the emotional weight of advocacy work as their organizations receive dozens of desperate parents weekly seeking help for children suffering from cannabis-induced psychosis. Their conversation illuminates patterns among affected youth who share similar profiles: promising, talented kids whose lives derailed after cannabis exposure.
Listen now to understand the hidden dangers of today's high-potency products and discover how parents are fighting back against what Laura calls "this poison addiction industry preying on our children." Share this episode with parents, educators, and anyone concerned about youth mental health and substance use.
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