It's Not Just Weed

Dr. Pat Speaks

Sep 17

2 min read

In 2019, as Illinois moved toward legalizing cannabis, I believed what so many people still believe today:

It’s just weed.

Then one phone call changed everything.

My godson’s mother called me from the hospital. Her son was experiencing symptoms in the realm of psychosis, and his drug screen was positive only for THC.

I didn’t believe it.

“Test him again,” I said. “It has to be something else. Weed doesn’t do that to people.”

They tested him again.

THC.

That phone call began an education I never asked for—but one I became determined to understand.

I started learning about cannabis, THC, the developing brain, addiction, and the dramatic changes in cannabis products available today. But my education didn’t come only from research. I watched someone I loved struggle with addiction. I watched what that struggle did to him and to his family. And over the years, I began meeting and listening to hundreds of parents and families with stories that sounded painfully familiar.

My understanding of cannabis—and of the industry built around it—changed profoundly.

My godson had been a gifted athlete: charming, charismatic and full of possibility. He earned a Division I scholarship to a major university and had dreams for his future.

Then those dreams began to disappear into smoke.

And his story is not the only one.

For families facing serious cannabis-related problems, the road back can be long, difficult and extraordinarily expensive. Sustained, high-quality treatment can be financially out of reach for many families.

That is why Smoke & Mirrors exists.

We believe young people deserve the truth before they have to learn it through consequences.

Smoke & Mirrors is a youth-centered education and public-health campaign created to empower young people ages 12 and older, their families, educators and communities with credible information about modern cannabis, high-potency THC, addiction, mental health risks, and the developing brain.

We are not here to shame young people.

We are here to arm them with knowledge.