ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – It’s been more than a year since laws legalizing recreational marijuana took effect in Virginia, and some people have concerns about kids and teenagers having access to THC products.
In Virginia, it’s legal for adults 21 and older to have up to one ounce of recreational marijuana, but selling it is still illegal.
Nancy Hans with the Prevention Council of Roanoke said kids still find ways to get their hands on THC products.
“We have a lot of products that are unregulated and legal, and this is where the issues are because people don’t know what’s in them,” Hans said.
Part of the Prevention Council’s goal is to warn parents and students in the Roanoke area.
“Don’t ever say this is not ever going to happen here. Not in my backyard. Not in my house, ‘cause that’s when you put all those red flags down,” Hans said.
Laura Stack admits she ignored some red flags. Her son, Johnny, started using marijuana when he was 14.
Five years later, as Johnny continued to use high-potent sources of THC, he took his life.
“I spent a lot of time crying and then started doing my research and trying to understand really what was behind his death and six months after he died, we started our non-profit,” Stack said.
The non-profit, Johnny’s Ambassadors, teaches people the dangers of high-potency THC use through Johnny’s story.
Stack lives in Colorado, one of the first states to legalize recreational marijuana use.
“Suicide is the number one cause of our death in Colorado in ages 15 through 18. The number one substance found in their toxicology report is THC,” Stack said.
Stack spent her day on Wednesday going around to the high schools in Roanoke County to speak about her family’s non-profit. She ended the day by talking to parents, telling them Johnny’s story, and discussing her extensive research about how THC interacts with the brain.
Stack will be doing another round of presentations at local schools on Thursday.