Since Colorado legalized THC in 2012, the landscape of substance use treatment has struggled to keep up! This is a drug that has changed more in the past 60 years than it did over the past 5000 years! THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the buzz-giver in cannabis, works on our cannabinoid receptors in the brain and can impact many bodily and brain functions. While lower THC concentrations (around 8% or less) have some proven medical benefits, the quick rise of high-potency products like wax and oils has upped the ante, especially when it comes to trips to the ER, psychosis, hyperemesis (greening out), and overall impacts on mental health. High-potency THC is not the same drug that was around 60, 30, even 10 years ago. The weed of the 1960s averaged 2% THC while waxes and oils today average around 70% THC.
Considerations for Teens
Using THC during these formative years can throw a wrench in brain development. During the ages of 12 to 25, our brains actively form the neural connections necessary for impulse control, understanding the need for rules and ethics, complex behaviors, abstract thinking, setting goals, and future planning. If this crucial stage is interrupted, teens move through key life changes without the mental and emotional tools that they need.
The biggest factors predicting THC dependence later in life are
1. Age of first use
2. Quantity consumed
3. Potency
Tips for Chatting with Teens/Young Adults
When it's time to talk THC with the younger crowd, it is important not to brush off their experiences. Remember, THC is very different now than it was when most of us were in high school. Have open chats, ask questions, and get them thinking. It can be helpful to ask about what they have noticed in their friend groups. Suggest ways to cut back, like waiting longer before trying stuff and sticking to less intense products like the good ol' flower. Plus, throwing in some challenges to go without THC can help them figure out their relationship with it.
Vocab test!
420: Cannabis flower
710: THC oils
Dabs: cannabis concentrate
Shatter: High potency solid, translucent concentrate that looks like amber-colored glass.
Wax: Generally preferred by new users, easier to handle than shatter.
Resin: Concentrate made by flash-freezing cannabis plants. Less processed than other dabs.
Oil: liquid THC substrates often consumed by smoking, vaping, or eating
Couch-lock: Being so high that one feels that they cannot move
Greening Out: Cannabinoid Hyperemesis (see below)
Cross faded: being drunk and high
A bit of psychoeducation
Withdrawal:
Cannabis is often dismissed as being harmless and non-addictive, however, cannabis withdrawal is a very real thing! Symptom onset typically occurs 24–48 hours after cessation and most symptoms generally peak at days 2–6. There is also often a strong resurgence of symptoms around day 14. The duration and severity of cannabis withdrawal are associated with the amount of cannabis consumed before cessation but can vary considerably. In heavy users, withdrawal symptoms can occur for up to 2–3 weeks or longer.
Greening Out (Cannabinoid Hyperemesis):
And then there's cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS), where heavy cannabis use brings on serious nausea and puking sessions. The exact why behind it is still a mystery, but kicking the cannabis habit is often the only way to get it under control.
How to support someone that is struggling with their THC use
It is important to recognize that talking about issues with THC can feel embarrassing due to social scripts about cannabis being “harmless and natural”. Admitting that THC use is a problem can feel very vulnerable. People may also feel hesitant to stop using THC because they are using it for medical reasons, mental health reasons, or a fear that not using THC will result in a return to worse behaviors (eating disorders, other drugs, SI, etc.). Helping people get connected with the support that they need is important.
Remember that fun doesn’t have to go away!
People may also feel that they cannot have fun without THC. Having patience and helping people get connected to others in recovery can help your loved one figure out how to navigate previously triggering activities in a sober way. Reconnecting with fun is a process. Want some inspiration in this arena? Wharf Rats for Grateful Dead concerts, The Phellowship for Phish, The Gateway for Widespread Panic, The Jellyfish for The String Cheese Incident, the Digital Buddhas for The Disco Biscuits, the Hummingbirds for Bassnectar, and the Sunny Bunny Recovery for Ween, Dustie Baggies for Billy Strings
Check out Sober AF entertainment for ongoing sober support at concerts, and sporting events around Colorado! https://soberafe.com/
Local resources for quitting and harm reduction:
RAM Recovery (for CSU students)- https://health.colostate.edu/ramrecovery/
The Phoenix: National Sober active community https://thephoenix.org/
Life Ring- Secular support and recovery group https://liferingcolorado.org/
Reduce and Recover: recovery support for the greater NoCo music community. https://www.blastnscrap.org/calendarevents/reduce-n-recover
Heart of Recovery- Meditation Group https://fortcollins.shambhala.org/ongoing-offerings/heart-recovery/
Recovery Dharma- Using Buddhist practices to help people recover from addiction https://recoverydharma.org/
Marijuana Anonymous is a fellowship of people who share our experience, strength, and hope with each other that we may solve our common problem and help others to recover from marijuana addiction: https://marijuana-anonymous.org
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