Category: Trending

The Last of Us has never been more popular, but the future of the franchise is on hold at the moment. A third video game hasn’t been officially announced, while production on the acclaimed HBO series has been paused due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. There is a way to get your Last of Us fix, however.

Halloween Horror Nights is an annual event timed to spooky season at Universal Studios Florida and Universal Studios Hollywood. There’s “scareactors” roaming the parks looking for jump scare victims, food and drink specials, and mazes — including one this year themed around The Last of Us.

I toured the Orlando maze over the weekend, and without spoiling the fun, it’s an essential visit for The Last of Us fans. But even if you don’t know what a “clicker” is, you’ll be impressed by the theming and the performances (this also applies for mazes themed around Stranger Things, Chucky, and The Exorcist, as well as original concepts). Before the scares, I spoke to The Last of Us co-creator Neil Druckmann and Michael Aiello, Universal Orlando’s senior director of Entertainment Creative Development, about the maze and the return of Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson as the voices of Joel and Ellie.

Are there particular moments from the games that you thought would translate well to the maze?

Mike: Yeah. I mean, it’s almost an embarrassment of riches when it comes to adapting the game because it’s so vast and layered. I think through the brainstorming, being able to narrow it down to the Pittsburgh story, that helped kind of siphon and filter in the types of experiences that we wanted to create for the best.

Neil: So much from the sewers and the Tableau, Ish and his crew and what happened there to right now here in the suburbs where it’s that sniper sequence where you have Joel on the roof protecting Ellie and every moment, it’s just directly from the game.

Do you have any favorite Easter eggs within the maze?

Neil: I have two that really stood out. One is there’s a note from Ish that’s straight from the game, but the one that’s really hidden is in the game, there’s a part where you go into the basement and you have to turn on the generator. It’s one of the scariest parts of the game. And to get out of it, there’s a key card that you have to scan by a key card reader, and the card is somewhere really hidden, and then there’s a key card that’s blinking green like in the game. Again, it’s such a detail that only the most hardcore fans are going to pick up, and the fact that this team, again, we didn’t even tell them to do it, on their own, they’re studying the game and putting in this stuff. I was like, “That’s pretty impressive.”

Mike: Our creative show director is Nate Stevenson, and he was able to take Neil through the house yesterday and he is probably the biggest The Last of Us fan on our creative team. So the minute he knew what we were doing, he was the first one in line going, “I have to do this.” You can’t say no.

Neil: It was really, really cool.

Can you talk a little bit about bringing Troy and Ashley back as the voices of Joel and Ellie, getting them to do some more original dialogue?

Neil: As soon as, again, we had that outline and it was obvious in the beginning that Joel and Ellie have to be part of it. And as soon as we said that, and it’s like, “Well, who’s going to play Joel and Ellie?” It’s not going to be a sound alike. It has to be Troy and Ashley. So I called them up and I’m like, “Hey, we’re working on this thing. Would you be interested in coming in?” They’re like, “Of course. We’re big fans of Halloween Horror Night.” So that was the easiest pitch to give to them, and they came on board. And again, first these guys took a pass of the script and are like, “Okay, here’s some new lines that we need.” And then I took that script and then just rewrote it in their voice. So my third time now writing these sequences and then they came in and recorded brand new lines, and that’s what you’re hearing when you’re going through the experience.

Mike: Again, as a massive fan, hearing new dialogue from these characters for the very first time, I remember we were sitting around a table just like, “Oh my gosh, that sounds amazing. It’s better than we thought.” That inflection is something we didn’t consider.

Neil: Yeah, again, it’s a simple moment, but before you come around the corner and you see that shadow play of Joel and Ellie and you hear Joel say, “Spores, masks on,” and you just see him put the gas mask on and you hear Troy’s kind of like booming bassy voice, it just puts you in the game immediately.

How do you feel that this is going to be a lot of kids’ introductions to The Last of Us universe?

Mike: I’ve been with Horror Nights almost two decades now. To be able to curate an event that’s able to run the gamut of horror that is now, horror that is yet to come, and also horror from the past, this event runs the gamut of being able to provide the guests with gateways. If there’s anyone… I don’t know who they are that doesn’t know The Last of Us, but they’re going to come experience this as a haunted house attraction first. This is going to be their first engagement in that, and the hope is they get to the other side and go, “I have to explore more.” That’s always the intention.

We’ve done brands. I stood on the table and got Killer Klowns from Outer Space in our event and everyone’s like, “What the hell is Killer Klowns from Outer Space?” I’m like, “We have to do it.” And now it’s everywhere. I mean, there’s Killer Klown stuff everywhere. So that’s an awesome thing that we love to do, whether it’s something that’s very niche or something that is so culture changing, like The Last of Us. The wonderful thing about this event is that we can bring both sides of the spectrum, both ends of that spectrum.

Neil: As you told me before, half the houses here are original IPs that these guys have developed, and I think they approached this just like that. This has to stand on its own. You shouldn’t have to rely on having played the game to enjoy this. But if you enjoy it and you haven’t played the game, maybe you’ll check it out.

Halloween Horror Nights runs until November 4th at Universal Studios Florida.

Mike Lindell is still facing financial ruin for spending years and millions chasing “proof” that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump. Lindell made the admission while helping to raise money for the 16 fake electors who’ve been arraigned on state charges in Michigan. As for why Lindell would boast that he’s almost broke chasing after Trump’s “stolen” victory as a method to ask other people to throw away their money is anybody’s guess.

“They’ve taken me down just in a bigger way,” Lindell said about the federal government and the lawsuits he’s facing from voting software companies he’s accused of fraid. “I’ve had to borrow millions of dollars this summer. I’ve never been in debt like this for a long, long time.”

Via Raw Story:

“When they weaponize the government against us, it seems like it’s insurmountable,” he continued while soliciting funds for the phony electors. “And these people that don’t have the resources, like you say, that I had, I don’t have anymore, but I had.”

It should be noted that the source of Mike Lindell’s finances is entirely Mike Lindell, and that picture seemingly changes with the wind. Earlier this year, he claimed that his MyPillow empire was losing money after being dumped by major big box retailers like Walmart. Lindell claimed he had to take out a $10 million loan after already blowing $30 million pushing Trump’s voter fraud scheme.

However, a few months later he told Steve Bannon that MyPillow couldn’t be better thanks to the invention of MyPillow 2.0. That news only last another few months before Lindell was in the news for auctioning off equipment in a fire sale.

So is Mike Lindell really in debt? We’ll probably never know until he goes to court for one of the multi-billion dollar lawsuits levied against him by Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic.

(Via Raw Story)

Everyone seemingly has a few air-travel horror stories under their seatbelts. Mine generally revolve around my unbeatable talent for getting stuck overnight in airports. And no question about it, an expensive price is paid to experience such inconveniences, which also happen to include bare feet antics and unruly, drunken fellow passengers.

Sometimes, however, things get very out of hand. A Southwest Airlines passenger was arrested in 2022 for repeatedly masturbating during a flight, and while that is unspeakable, one can hope that he at least kept his bodily fluids to himself. That unfortunately was not the case during a September 1 Delta flight that took off from Atlanta en route to Barcelona. The flight didn’t make it too far (only to Virginia), but at least things didn’t start to get rough over the Atlantic Ocean. Because reportedly, a “diarrhea incident” occurred at so many different spots on the plane that it became a “biohazard,” and the flight had to turn around shortly after takeoff. Via CNN, here’s a real yikes:

“It’s just a biohazard issue, we had a passenger who had diarrhea all the way through the airplane so they want us to come back to Atlanta,” a DL 194 pilot said to air traffic control.

Delta told CNN that the flight was delayed just over eight hours, but landed in Barcelona without further incident on Saturday at 5.16 p.m. local time. “Our teams worked as quickly and safely as possible to get our customers to their final destination,” a spokesperson said. “We sincerely apologize to our customers for the delay and inconvenience to their travel plans.”

There are no winners in that story, and obviously, nothing about the situation could be helped once in motion.

That’s not all, though. Another recent report revealed that Air Canada found themselves apologizing to a pair of passengers who were instructed to sit in vomit-laced seats that were not adequately cleaned between flights. At one point, the passengers were allegedly threatened with being put on a “no-fly list” if they continued to protest. And if that’s not enough gross-out material for you, a July Air France flight went off the rails after a passenger found a blood-and-fecal stain underneath two seats on the day after a man reportedly suffered a “hemorrhage” on an international flight. Nightmare city.

Staycations are sounding pretty good right about now, wouldn’t you agree?

(Via CNN)

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, New Orleans Pelicans wing Trey Murphy III will undergo testing after suffering a left meniscus injury during a workout on Tuesday and “it is immediately unclear whether he’ll require surgery.”

After an up-and-down rookie campaign, Murphy was sensational in second season. He made numerous improvements as a scorer and defender, started 65 games and averaged 14.5 points (65 percent true shooting) while shooting 40.6 percent beyond the arc. He also participated in the Dunk Contest at All-Star Weekend and solidified himself as an integral part of New Orleans’ budding young core.

Murphy’s injury marks another break of unfortunate news for the Pelicans, which seem snakebitten over the past few years. All-Star forwards Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram have both struggled to stay healthy or share the floor together, and other key role players have often shuffled in and out of the lineup because of injuries.

Among his dynamite long-range shooting, high-flying slams and strides as a ball-handler, Murphy is one of the most intriguing young role players around the league. He’s already a highly efficient scorer and seemed primed to take another substantial step forward heading into his third year. Hopefully, this is nothing more than a slight hiccup and he’s back on the floor as soon as possible.

Air travel just isn’t what it used to be. No we’re not talking about the ever-shrinking legroom, the high prices, and the lack of flexibility in change policies — but then there is that too! — we’re talking about the fact that it feels like every week someone is going viral for making a wild scene on an airplane. To be fair, it might’ve always been this way, but people in the past were less connected than they are in 2023, so there was less of an incentive to document your crazy travel experiences. But maybe, just maybe, two years of a pandemic caused people to truly forget how to act because it certainly feels like traveling isn’t quite as chill as it used to be.

So much so that an American Airlines pilot actually had to call it out in a pre-flight message that was captured by a passenger, Anna Maltezos, on a plane flying from New York to Chicago a couple of weeks back. The video begins mid-message but we’re given this opening salvo:

“Be nice to each other, be respectful of each other, I shouldn’t have to say that… but I have to say it every single flight.”

That would’ve been enough, but the pilot continues:

“Don’t lean on other people, don’t fall asleep on other people, don’t pass out on other people or drool on them unless you’ve talked about it and they’re wearing a weather-proof jacket.”

Bars! But the gold just keeps coming”

“The Social experiment of listening to videos on speaker mode or talking on a cell phone on speaker mode? That is over and done in this country. Nobody wants to hear your video. I know you think it’s super sweet, it probably is, but it’s your business, right?”

Amen, brother! Seriously, give this guy a raise for speaking on what we’ve all been thinking. Here is to hoping your next flight is more civil than your last.

Going to the gym can be a daunting prospect for a lot of people. It shouldn’t be—the whole point of going to the gym is to exercise, which is something that should universally be applauded—but sometimes it can feel like there’s pressure to be at a certain fitness level or have a certain physique before stepping foot in the door.

For people who are heavier, gym culture can be especially intimidating. Unfortunately, not everyone remembers to practice kindness and fatphobia appears to remain a fairly tolerated prejudice. That shouldn’t stop people with big bodies from enjoying all that fitness centers have to offer, but all too often, it does.

It hasn’t stopped a woman named Steph from working out regularly at her gym, albeit with some trepidation. As she shared in a hugely viral TikTok, she’s experienced some unkind behavior at the gym that made her nervous when a man approached her recently. But her description of the encounter ultimately demonstrated how powerful a few positive words can be.

In a video made from her car just after leaving the gym, Steph explained that a “hardcore” gym-goer who is “super tough” and covered in tattoos had came up to talk to her. Her initial response was to be afraid of what he was going to say to her, based on previous experience. She shared in the video how hard it’s been to stay steady with her workouts, especially with medications she’s on making her body hold onto weight, but she’s been working hard to be consistent. She steeled herself for whatever he might say.

She didn’t expect it to be this: “I’ve seen you in here every week, almost every day. I’ve seen you in here every week—and I’m proud of you.” Nor did she expect that such simple words of encouragement could make such a huge impact.

Watch her tell the story:

@steph5468

#gymprogress #workputjourney #keepgoing #healingjourney

People had a lot to say about the interchange and Steph’s emotional response to it.

“People do not realize, how one person can change everything,” wrote one commenter.

“Girl you are CRUSHING IT,” wrote another. “That man you encountered is what real men do. Encourage. Support. Be human! It isn’t hard! ❤️”

“No one knows your story, your struggles. You’re doing the dang thing and that takes courage and strength. You. Keep. Going. I’m proud of you too!” shared another.

​More and more words of encouragement flooded Steph’s comment section, and people on Upworthy’s Instagram page weighed in as well.

“I’m a fitness coach and this made me cry 😢 just having someone say they are proud of you can move mountains for so many of us who didn’t/ don’t get the praise growing up,” wrote one person.

“Who knows? He may be going through something too and saw a determined, consistent, fellow traveler,” wrote another. “You share your Truth so powerfully. You may not know how many people will see this and be encouraged by your honesty. I’m in awe that you show up for YOURSELF every day. And as for the rude and ill-mannered? Well they struggle too—just to be decent kind human beings. Some people have not been shown Empathy and therefore do not know how to use that muscle. You are beautiful, smart, articulate, wise and a woman who knows where she’s headed. Keep walking, head up knowing there are many many more who do empathize, who see you and are on your side❤️”

“It’s amazing to think about how this man’s single act of kindness, spread through you to affect us all in a positive way,” shared another. “This made all of our days, and I’m crying tears of joy while I write this. Please thank him from all of us the next time you see him, if you’re comfortable with that. And thank you for sharing! ❤️”

Indeed, thanks to both Steph and the hardcore, tattooed gym bro for being wonderful examples for us all. We never know what a small act of kindness or a few words of encouragement will do to make someone’s life significantly better, but it’s always worth trying.

Up to 8% of the American population will experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in their lifetime, according to the National Center for PTSD.

As much as people might not want to discuss it, traumatic experiences are not rare. In fact, recent data suggests that 60% of men and 50% of women will experience at least one traumatic event in their lifetime.

---

For a long time, it was believed that only those who had served in the military could develop PTSD, but that’s simply not true.

The reality is that, while it may be more prevalent among certain groups, PTSD can affect anyone who’s experienced a traumatic event. It’s important to be able to speak about it clearly and openly, without fear or condemnation, in order to promote understanding and healing.

Today, more treatments exist for PTSD than ever before.

The medical and psychological communities are finding new and effective ways of treating the disorder. For example, therapies involving virtual reality and paintball have shown to be promising in treating veterans. Both are methods where an individual is exposed to the triggers of their symptoms in a safe and controllable way.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (where one learns to think more realistically and logically) and eye movement desensitization reprocessing (in which an individual relives the traumatic experience in small doses and while remaining firmly in reality) can also be effective in treating the disorder. But therapy, no matter how effective, is only one piece of the puzzle.

Helping those with PTSD must also include compassion. Here’s how to be an ally.

It’s likely that you know someone who’s experienced PTSD. It’s also likely that you didn’t know how to think or react to the disorder.

Confusion (and even judgment) are normal responses. After all, most of us aren’t trained therapists. But you don’t have to be a mental health professional to help a friend or loved one who’s experiencing PTSD.

There’s no one right thing to say to someone who’s experiencing the disorder. The best thing you can do is just be there. While it may seem helpful to offer wisdom or offer suggestions for how your loved ones can “move on” or “get over it,” that’s actually counter-intuitive.

Those living with PTSD are already under a great deal of pressure. Suggesting therapy is helpful, but trying to make your loved one see “the good side of things” or “remember that this is all part of a bigger plan” is likely to create even more guilt and stress rather than prompt action. PTSD is painful and it’s serious, but it’s never a sign of weakness.

Respecting boundaries is also important. It’s up to the individual when they choose to talk about their trauma. Nobody should force it or take it personally if they don’t.

Show up, listen, care. These things are enough. More importantly, they’re important steps toward ending stigma and helping our loved ones heal.

This article originally appeared on 06.27.18

You missed a study that illuminates the very real dangers of literally “walking while black.”

In addition to rogue police officers targeting people of color on the street, a study from Portland State University found that drivers are less likely to stop for black pedestrians.

The study, a follow-up from one conducted in 2014, administered tests using identically dressed black and white volunteers attempting to cross the same intersection. The 2014 study revealed black male pedestrians waited 32% longer than white male pedestrians for cars to stop. The 2017 research expanded on these tests to include black and white women and marked versus unmarked crosswalks.

---

When the crosswalk was unmarked, the stopping rate was relatively low across the board, regardless of race or gender — and regardless of Oregon law. However, when zebra stripes were added to the crosswalk, drivers were more likely to stop for white pedestrians, regardless of their own race or gender. In these marked crosswalks, cars stopped for white pedestrians 57% of the time and black pedestrians 44% of the time.

And the drivers who did stop for black pedestrians tended to crowd the crosswalk, giving black pedestrians less room to cross safely.

The researchers also measured where drivers stopped for pedestrians. A driver stopping on or before the stop line is more than 10 feet away from the intersection, giving the pedestrian ample room to cross. When the pedestrian was a black male, drivers stopped after the stop line in 71% of the trials. For black women, it was 67%.

When the pedestrians were white men or women, the drivers stopped before the line 52% and 55% of the time, respectively.

Yes, you’re reading this data correctly — the very tool meant to keep all pedestrians safe is generally effective only when the pedestrians are white.

Studies like this don’t necessarily mean everyone behind the wheel is racist. But it’s likely that implicit biases are at work.

Since the race and ethnicity of the driver had little effect on whether they yielded to pedestrians, it’s unlikely that they’re driving around with malicious intent to injure or harm pedestrians of color. However, subconscious and implicit biases — aversions, preferences, or attitudes that we prescribe to certain people or communities without even realizing it — are real and powerful. When we have to make quick decisions, our brains often rely on these implicit biases, which can have unintended (even deadly) consequences.

“Driving is a situation where you’re processing a lot of information,” Kimberly Kahn of the Transportation Research and Education Center at Portland State University told The Oregonian. “It’s in those situations where the most subtle and implicit biases can impact decision-making.”

Some of these implicit biases may be why people of color are overrepresented when it comes to pedestrian fatalities.

In 2014, nearly 5,000 people in the U.S. were killed while walking. Non-white individuals are approximately 35% of the U.S. population but make up just over 46% of pedestrian deaths. Some of this can be attributed to the higher prevalence of pedestrians of color and the way certain streets and neighborhoods are designed with minimal safe crossings. However, even controlling for these factors, a disparity persists — it’s simply not safe to walk in some neighborhoods.

But there are ways to combat both unsafe walking conditions and our own biases.

Increasing the number of drivers stopping for pedestrians across the board will inherently improve the number of drivers stopping for people of color. This means pushing local leaders for better crosswalk signage and street marking. It’s also important to implement smart design, investigate where pedestrians are most at risk for being struck, and consider what measures can be put in place to slow cars or change traffic patterns.

And it’s crucial that we work on our own implicit biases, first by acknowledging that they exist. It can be difficult to take a good hard look at why we think the way we do, but by examining our own preconceived notions and attitudes, we can make great strides toward dismantling or changing them.

This article originally appeared on 11.01.17

The legality of abortion is one of the most polarized debates in America—but it doesn’t have to be.

People have big feelings about abortion, which is understandable. On one hand, you have people who feel that abortion is a fundamental women’s rights issue, that our bodily autonomy is not something you can legislate, and that those who oppose abortion rights are trying to control women through oppressive legislation. On the other, you have folks who believe that a fetus is a human individual first and foremost, that no one has the right to terminate a human life, and that those who support abortion rights are heartless murderers.

Then there are those of us in the messy middle. Those who believe that life begins at conception, that abortion isn’t something we’d choose—and we’d hope others wouldn’t choose—under most circumstances, yet who choose to vote to keep abortion legal.

---

It is entirely possible to be morally anti-abortion and politically pro-choice without feeling conflicted about it. Here’s why.

There’s far too much gray area to legislate.

No matter what you believe, when exactly life begins and when “a clump of cells” should be considered an individual, autonomous human being is a debatable question.

I personally believe life begins at conception, but that’s my religious belief about when the soul becomes associated with the body, not a scientific fact. As Arthur Caplan, award-winning professor of bioethics at New York University, told Slate, “Many scientists would say they don’t know when life begins. There are a series of landmark moments. The first is conception, the second is the development of the spine, the third the development of the brain, consciousness, and so on.”

But let’s say, for the sake of argument, that a human life unquestionably begins at conception. Even with that point of view, there are too many issues that make a black-and-white approach to abortion too problematic to ban it.

Abortion bans hurt some mothers who desperately want their babies to live, and I’m not okay with that.

One reason I don’t support banning abortion is because I’ve seen too many families deeply harmed by restrictive abortion laws.

I’ve heard too many stories of families who desperately wanted a baby, who ended up having to make the rock-and-a-hard-place choice to abort because the alternative would have been a short, pain-filled life for their child.

I’ve heard too many stories of mothers having to endure long, drawn out, potentially dangerous miscarriages and being forced to carry a dead baby inside of them because abortion restrictions gave them no other choice.

I’ve heard too many stories of abortion laws doing real harm to mothers and babies, and too many stories of families who were staunchly anti-abortion until they found themselves in circumstances they never could have imagined, to believe that abortion is always wrong and should be banned at any particular stage.

I am not willing to serve as judge and jury on a woman’s medical decisions, and I don’t think the government should either.

Most people’s anti-abortion views—mine included—are based on their religious beliefs, and I don’t believe that anyone’s religion should be the basis for the laws in our country. (For the record, any Christian who wants biblical teachings to influence U.S. law, yet cries “Shariah is coming!” when they see a Muslim legislator, is a hypocrite.)

I also don’t want politicians sticking their noses into my very personal medical choices. There are just too many circumstances (seriously, please read the stories linked in the previous section) that make abortion a choice I hope I’d never have to make, but wouldn’t want banned. I don’t understand why the same people who decry government overreach think the government should be involved in these extremely personal medical decisions.

And yes, ultimately, abortion is a personal medical decision. Even if I believe that a fetus is a human being at every stage, that human being’s creation is inextricably linked to and dependent upon its mother’s body. And while I don’t think that means women should abort inconvenient pregnancies, I also acknowledge that trying to force a woman to grow and deliver a baby that she may not have chosen to conceive isn’t something the government should be in the business of doing.

As a person of faith, my role is not to judge or vilify, but to love and support women who are facing difficult choices. The rest of it—the hard questions, the unclear rights and wrongs, the spiritual lives of those babies,—I comfortably leave in God’s hands.

Most importantly, if the goal is to prevent abortion, research shows that outlawing it isn’t the way to go.

The biggest reason I vote the way I do is because based on my research pro-choice platforms provide the best chance of reducing abortion rates.

Abortion rates fell by 24% in the past decade and are at their lowest levels in 40 years in America. Abortion has been legal during that time, so clearly, keeping abortion legal and available has not resulted in increased abortion rates. Switzerland has one of the lowest abortion rates on earth and their rate has been falling since 2002, when abortion became largely unrestricted.

Outlawing abortion doesn’t stop it, it just pushes it underground and makes it more dangerous. And if a woman dies in a botched abortion, so does her baby. Banning abortion is a recipe for more lives being lost, not fewer.

At this point, the only things consistently proven to reduce abortion rates are comprehensive sex education and easy, affordable access to birth control. If we want to reduce abortions, that’s where we should be putting our energy. The problem is, anti-abortion activists also tend to be the same people pushing for abstinence-only education and making birth control harder to obtain. But those goals can’t co-exist in the real world.

Our laws should be based on reality and on the best data we have available. Since comprehensive sex education and easy, affordable access to birth control—the most proven methods of reducing abortion rates—are the domain of the pro-choice crowd, that’s where I place my vote, and why I do so with a clear conscience.

This article originally appeared on 01.22.19

Laura Stack’s son Johnny lost his life to suicide three months ago when he was just 19 years old. Though she says the grief of his death is “still fresh,” Stack took to Facebook to share something that happened three days before Johnny died, hoping it will help other parents whose kids may be at risk.

She wrote:

“On Sunday, November 17, 2019 around 5:30 PM, he came over for dinner. He lived in our condo a couple miles down the street and would often pop in for a home-cooked meal. This evening, he was a bit agitated but lucid. ‘I need to tell you that you were right,’ he told me. ‘Right about what?’ I asked. ‘Right about the marijuana and the drugs. You told me weed and drugs would hurt my brain, and it’s ruined my mind and my life. You were right all along. I’m sorry, and I love you.’ He died by suicide three days later.

---

Stack explained that Johnny had “dabbed” since he was 15 or 16. “Do you understand the difference between smoking pot (and some edibles) and dabbing high-THC wax, shatter, or butter?” she asked. “Most of my friends look at me blankly when I say these words and say, ‘I’ve never even heard about this.’ If you don’t know what cannabis extracts are, and you have children, grandchildren, sisters, brothers, nieces and nephews between the ages of 14 and 24, PLEASE keep reading.”

“I am NOT talking about those of you who are supporters of legal recreational marijuana for adults over 21 years old—it’s your life—do what you want,” Stack clarified. “I know some people who take it successfully for specific medical purposes, so please don’t write comments in my post about my personal experience. I’m specifically talking about illegal usage by children and young adults under 21, whose adolescent brains are still forming. You may be thinking, ‘C’mon, Laura, it’s no big deal – it’s just pot.’ ‘Pot’s legal, so it must be safe.’ Or ‘I did pot when I was a kid, too, and look, it didn’t hurt me.’

Well, have you recently studied TODAY’S pot, and have you personally seen its effects on your children like I have?”

Stack explained why today’s recreational cannabis is so different:

“First, the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a crystalline compound that is the main active ingredient of cannabis that gives the ‘high,’ is extracted out of the cannabis so that it’s nearly pure. THC is the principal psychoactive constituent of cannabis. Then a butane torch is used to heat the crystals (similar to beeswax) or oil in a ‘rig’ (just google it), or a vaping device with a heating element called a dab pen can be used. Forget the ‘grass’ or ‘papers’ that were rolled in the 70s and 80s. The pot we grew up with (10% or less THC content) is HUGELY different than today’s high-concentrate extracts (often 80% THC content or higher).”

She also explained why young people tend to be affected more by these high THC concentrations, and that the earlier they start the more likely it is that they’ll develop a disorder.

“The brain is still developing through a person’s 20s, and psychotic disorders typically develop in the late teenage years. During brain formation, heavy cannabis use has been shown to have a negative effect on the formation of neural pathways. It can also lead to heavier drug use. While the vast majority of marijuana smokers never experience CIP, researchers have found that the earlier and heavier someone starts dabbing, the more likely it is that they will develop a disorder at some point (often years later). We must educate our children when they are young (10-12 years old) and use hyper-vigilance in the early teen years, which we found was much easier before the age of 16, when they could drive. We couldn’t lock him up or monitor him 24/7. Keep talking and keep trying!!

The harmful combination of a still-forming mind, high-potency THC products, and a high frequency of use = Cannabis-Induced Psychosis. Yes, that’s a real diagnosis (or High-THC Abuse – Severe). Repeated CIP incidents can trigger schizophrenia or other mental illness, and even when the cannabis is withdrawn, the psychosis doesn’t go away. This is what happened to my beautiful boy. When he died, the toxicology report showed he had ZERO drugs in his system. He wasn’t depressed, neglected, drugged, or unloved. He was psychotic, paranoid, and delusional by the time he reached 19, and he refused the anti-psychotic drugs that he now needed, because he thought he wasn’t sick (common to schizophrenia).”

It’s so easy to think that marijuana use isn’t that big of a deal, especially since some states have begun legalizing the drug for recreational use and many people see it as “natural.” But the mild, laid-back high many people picture with pot use is not the reality of many of today’s marijuana products or methods. Parents need to be aware of the dangers cannabis-derived drugs pose to their children’s mental health and educate them as early as possible.

Stack included the following links to articles and studies backing up what she’s learned about today’s THC products. These are things we all should read and share, as this knowledge and awareness could literally save someone’s life.

Potent pot, vulnerable teens trigger concerns in first states to legalize marijuana – The Washington Post

The contribution of cannabis use to variation in the incidence of psychotic disorder – The Lancet Journal

Association of Cannabis Use in Adolescence and Risk of Depression, Anxiety, and Suicidality in Young Adulthood – Journal of the American Medical Association

Dabs, Wax, Vaping Weed, Edibles and the Real Impact of High Potency THC Products: What Parents Need to Know – Resources to Recover

How Marijuana May Damage Teenage Brains in Study Using Genetically Vulnerable Mice – Johns Hopkins

Significant link between cannabis use and onset of mania symptoms – Science Daily

Cannabis-induced psychosis: A Review – Psychiatric Times

Summary of literature on marijuana and psychosis – Moms Strong

Stack explained that Johnny had “dabbed” since he was 15 or 16. “Do you understand the difference between smoking pot (and some edibles) and dabbing high-THC wax, shatter, or butter?” she asked. “Most of my friends look at me blankly when I say these words and say, ‘I’ve never even heard about this.’ If you don’t know what cannabis extracts are, and you have children, grandchildren, sisters, brothers, nieces and nephews between the ages of 14 and 24, PLEASE keep reading.”

“I am NOT talking about those of you who are supporters of legal recreational marijuana for adults over 21 years old—it’s your life—do what you want,” Stack clarified. “I know some people who take it successfully for specific medical purposes, so please don’t write comments in my post about my personal experience. I’m specifically talking about illegal usage by children and young adults under 21, whose adolescent brains are still forming. You may be thinking, ‘C’mon, Laura, it’s no big deal – it’s just pot.’ ‘Pot’s legal, so it must be safe.’ Or ‘I did pot when I was a kid, too, and look, it didn’t hurt me.’

Well, have you recently studied TODAY’S pot, and have you personally seen its effects on your children like I have?”

Stack explained why today’s recreational cannabis is so different:

“First, the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a crystalline compound that is the main active ingredient of cannabis that gives the ‘high,’ is extracted out of the cannabis so that it’s nearly pure. THC is the principal psychoactive constituent of cannabis. Then a butane torch is used to heat the crystals (similar to beeswax) or oil in a ‘rig’ (just google it), or a vaping device with a heating element called a dab pen can be used. Forget the ‘grass’ or ‘papers’ that were rolled in the 70s and 80s. The pot we grew up with (10% or less THC content) is HUGELY different than today’s high-concentrate extracts (often 80% THC content or higher).”

She also explained why young people tend to be affected more by these high THC concentrations, and that the earlier they start the more likely it is that they’ll develop a disorder.

“The brain is still developing through a person’s 20s, and psychotic disorders typically develop in the late teenage years. During brain formation, heavy cannabis use has been shown to have a negative effect on the formation of neural pathways. It can also lead to heavier drug use. While the vast majority of marijuana smokers never experience CIP, researchers have found that the earlier and heavier someone starts dabbing, the more likely it is that they will develop a disorder at some point (often years later). We must educate our children when they are young (10-12 years old) and use hyper-vigilance in the early teen years, which we found was much easier before the age of 16, when they could drive. We couldn’t lock him up or monitor him 24/7. Keep talking and keep trying!!

The harmful combination of a still-forming mind, high-potency THC products, and a high frequency of use = Cannabis-Induced Psychosis. Yes, that’s a real diagnosis (or High-THC Abuse – Severe). Repeated CIP incidents can trigger schizophrenia or other mental illness, and even when the cannabis is withdrawn, the psychosis doesn’t go away. This is what happened to my beautiful boy. When he died, the toxicology report showed he had ZERO drugs in his system. He wasn’t depressed, neglected, drugged, or unloved. He was psychotic, paranoid, and delusional by the time he reached 19, and he refused the anti-psychotic drugs that he now needed, because he thought he wasn’t sick (common to schizophrenia).”

It’s so easy to think that marijuana use isn’t that big of a deal, especially since some states have begun legalizing the drug for recreational use and many people see it as “natural.” But the mild, laid-back high many people picture with pot use is not the reality of many of today’s marijuana products or methods. Parents need to be aware of the dangers cannabis-derived drugs pose to their children’s mental health and educate them as early as possible.

Stack included the following links to articles and studies backing up what she’s learned about today’s THC products. These are things we all should read and share, as this knowledge and awareness could literally save someone’s life.

Potent pot, vulnerable teens trigger concerns in first states to legalize marijuana – The Washington Post

The contribution of cannabis use to variation in the incidence of psychotic disorder – The Lancet Journal

Association of Cannabis Use in Adolescence and Risk of Depression, Anxiety, and Suicidality in Young Adulthood – Journal of the American Medical Association

Dabs, Wax, Vaping Weed, Edibles and the Real Impact of High Potency THC Products: What Parents Need to Know – Resources to Recover

How Marijuana May Damage Teenage Brains in Study Using Genetically Vulnerable Mice – Johns Hopkins

Significant link between cannabis use and onset of mania symptoms – Science Daily

Cannabis-induced psychosis: A Review – Psychiatric Times

Summary of literature on marijuana and psychosis – Moms Strong

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on 02.21.20. The opinions expressed in this piece are solely those of the author and the subjects written about or quoted.