Recently, Dr. Jennifer Ashton, ABC News Chief Medical Correspondent spoke on the morning news, about a spike in marijuana use for college age, young adults, the highest use in three decades. In my son’s case, I know street marijuana is not a safe drug. There can be unknown additives to the drug, and by ingesting it, you can not control the high. But kids do not believe there are real dangers because famous comedians glamorize its use. There is an opportunity for comedians to save a life in the most vulnerable group just by changing their comedic storyline.

I did not think smoking a marijuana joint periodically was harmful. I never did it, but I had a suspicion my son did, or at least his friends. The first time I had a suspension was a year before he died. He had just moved into his new apartment. My son and I drove over together so he could show it to me. He opened the door and then quickly closed it, and said, “Just a moment.” Before he completely shut the door, I could see through the door crack, his roommate getting up from the couch. We waited a minute, and then he opened it up again. His roommate was no longer sitting on the couch. I could tell by the smell he had been smoking marijuana, but I shrugged it off, thinking, it was harmless and I wanted to be positive for my son.

Since starting this blog, people have shared with me, either their struggles with mental illness or those of a loved one, who died by suicide. Many include a connection to marijuana use.

They described its purpose as “self-medicating.” One described himself as being a “stoner” for his prolonged use of smoking marijuana, specifically to slow down his mind, that is a symptom of his attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Another said, “It is a brain-altering drug – affecting my thinking, and intensifying anxious feelings.” Also sharing, “The effects of edibles was like tripping.” This commonality got to me, where I thought there is something here to share.

After my son died, I met with his therapist, whom he saw six months prior. He told her he only smoked socially. She questioned if it was prohibiting his executing functioning since he avoided starting things that would move him along in his life, like looking for a job, academics, or dating. My son told his therapist that it did not affect him.

I recently learned he smoked in college with his friends, on the weekends, before going out. They liked the feeling of being high, and his friend told me, for himself, it helped him relax and forget about the stress of school and life. This use seems harmless, except for my son, with ADHD. Marijuana use by someone with ADHD has more adverse effects than someone with no mental illness.