CONFESSIONS FROM THE KITCHEN TABLE A Parent’s Story (AKA Nightmare)

My 20-year-old son (“K”) had two very serious cannabisinduced psychotic breaks in the last year and a half that were absolute hell.

Growing up, K played soccer, hockey, and tennis, and we all spent time together with family at the lake house every summer. He was never in trouble at school or had any trouble with the law.

In high school things seemed to change. He began spending huge amounts of time online playing games. They seemed to suck him into his room, and he became isolated. Looking back, he probably started smoking cannabis around his sophomore year, and his grades really got bad during his junior and senior years.

In his first semester of college, we thought he was a little depressed and maybe had anxiety. Then he flunked out, was suspended, and moved back home. We hadn’t realized he was NOT going to class and was smoking heavy amounts of cannabis.

Then he somehow got a medical marijuana card. Things got super weird with him, and we didn’t know why. We were arguing with him all the time regarding the way he was acting. His friends would call us and have to drive him home, as he was acting really strangely.

K left our house one night, and we thought he was staying with a friend. The next day my husband saw him standing in front of the homeless shelter. I immediately drove down there and found him. He was completely out of his mind. He was delusional and talking about being sent there by God. He had six interactions with law enforcement in one day.

K thought some of the homeless were his friends, and they eventually stole his car and everything in it. Fearing for his safety, we involuntarily committed him to the psychiatric hospital for three weeks. The psychiatrist told us it was Cannabis Induced Psychosis, and he should never smoke again, or this would probably happen again. We couldn’t believe that cannabis could do this to someone.

Thinking our son would NEVER smoke cannabis again, the second psychotic break came as a surprise eight months later, and it was way worse.

After finding out, we told him to either move out or stop smoking.

He packed up everything he had into his replaced car and left town. He got acquainted with a 48-year-old guy who had been in prison. This man convinced K to drive down to California with him. Our son had enough money from a tax refund and his last check to head to California. He told us where he was on the rare occasions he answered his phone, but he wouldn’t tell us for sure exactly where. From what we understand, he went to Seattle, Portland, and down to California.

We were desperate, and I reported him as a missing person and tracked him on Snapchat. We didn’t know if he was dead or alive. I spoke with law enforcement all through California and informed them of what was going on. Because I had him listed as a missing person, law enforcement would call anytime there was interaction. Since my son was in psychosis, he was very vulnerable and had no idea or insight about people or places.

K was tased at a homeless camp, stayed in ANTIFA homeless camps, slept by a dumpster, and the man he was traveling with stole his car with everything he owned in it.

He would call intermittently but was so delusional he had no idea what was really going on. He was arrested in California for stealing a car he thought was his, and spent the night in jail. He finally called but was so delusional, we couldn’t have a clear conversation.

Because the sheriff’s deputy saw he was reported missing, they called me. After explaining what was going on, they decided to have him involuntarily committed. K stayed in a California psychiatric hospital for another three weeks; then my husband and I drove down to bring him home.

He now knows he has to stop using marijuana. He has a treatment plan, and we are holding him accountable. He is doing well.

We know now our son has Cannabis Use Disorder and Cannabis Induced Psychosis and will continue to have psychotic breaks whenever he uses weed. We had NO idea this could happen from using marijuana; it’s NOT what everyone thinks it is.

Cannabis addiction and psychosis are real. If your family is experiencing what we have, don’t be afraid to ask for help ■

YOU CAN SUBMIT YOUR STORY AT: coleen@youthconnectionscoalition.org

For many of us the kitchen table represents the typical family experience. We have laughed while having family game night. We have cried over our children’s choices. We have blown out the candles on many cakes. We have argued our way out of doing the dishes. We have struggled through those “three more bites.” We have learned hard lessons and celebrated many deserved successes. One thing is for sure though—if our kitchen tables could talk, there would be plenty of stories! So often it is in relating to others’ stories that we realize there isn’t always one answer, or even a right answer. Parenting is hard work! If you have a story of lessons learned, we invite you to share it with our readers. Sometimes, knowing we aren’t the only ones struggling to find the answer is all the help we need.