From high-potency THC to concerned psychology major (Student)

All right, what's up everybody? We are live. Welcome to JT Books and Films, and tonight is our kickoff night with our new podcast, and it is called Beyond the Veil. And I am going to play this cool little intro for you guys, and I'm going to introduce you to— introduce you guys to my new guest. That will be on here tonight. So here we go. Welcome to Beyond the Glitch, the podcast where we expose the darkness behind the issues affecting our lives and bring truth, hope, and healing into the light. From addiction and mental health to culture, faith, and the stories people are afraid to tell, nothing is off limits. I'm Jason Tremko, and together we're going beyond the glitch. All right, so welcome to Beyond the Glitch. Again, I am your host, Jason Tremko. I'm the author of The Green Glitch and the creator of the film The Green Glitch: What's Behind the Devil's Lettuce. And tonight I'm very excited, I have a new guest here, and she was actually in my recent film The Green Glitch: What's Behind the Devil's Lettuce, and her name is Cameron Otwell. Formerly known as Cameron Tremko, my awesome daughter. So she is a psychology student and she was at one point struggling with high-potency marijuana, and since then she's overcame and now she's working to finish up her psychology degree to where she can go out and help other people who have struggled with the same things that she's struggling with. So Without further ado, I am going to bring her on the set and introduce you to her. So here we go. All right. Hey Cameron, how you doing?

I'm good, how are you?

Good. How was it, uh, backstage back there?

It was nice.

That's what I'm talking about. All right, now the spotlight's on you, huh?

Yeah.

All All right, that's good. Okay, so you're out there in sunny California right now, right?

Yes, I am.

Yeah, what's the, uh, the temperature like out there today?

Um, like 102, 100, not as bad but hot.

Yeah, burning up out there, 102. Well, it's been— when I woke up this morning, it was like 55 degrees here, so I know you're ready to, uh, enjoy that nice cold weather again.

Definitely.

I actually had to put on a long sleeve shirt today because it was a little chilly this morning.

Must be nice.

It is. Yeah, but at least you got the sun. You got the sunshine. You like to go outside in the sun a lot, right? No.

No.

All right, so tell us a little bit about it, Cameron. You know, what are you trying to do? Is your goals? You know, you're going to college. Tell us a little bit about your, your major and what you're hoping to accomplish with your, uh, your future.

Um, I just got my associate's degree in science of psychology, and I am now working on my bachelor's in psychology as well. Um, I'm not sure exactly what I want to do with it yet. Um, I either want to be a counselor or social worker, but anything to help Help people because I want to help people.

That's cool. So, you know, what is it about helping people? You know, like, what's— why is that important to you?

Um, just because I've dealt with anxiety and depression and things like that, and I feel like I would be able to help people by helping them with things that I've gone through and with advice and everything.

Yeah, so You know, with all my research and everything that I'm doing here lately, you know, I've kind of like, kind of had the desire to maybe go on and, uh, you know, become a counselor myself, you know, or maybe like a social worker of some type, you know. I guess I kind of do that, you know, I'm a school teacher, you know, but I guess I kind of do that. But, you know, I have a passion for helping people out too, and that's kind of why I started this podcast. So it's pretty exciting you get to be the very first to kick us off here, so that's exciting. Okay, so we're gonna jump in here. I got some questions I'm gonna ask you, nothing too crazy. First question I have for you is, what first opened your eyes to the impact that modern high-potency THC products can have on individuals and families and communities, you know, because, um, you know, there's a lot of that stuff going on. I actually had a meeting today that I, that I participated in, and it was really cool because I was around a whole bunch of other people that work in this kind of environment, you know. And, you know, we're working really hard to raise awareness, you know, for people that are struggling with, um, with drug addiction. And, you know, in my opinion, I think a lot of drug addiction starts with marijuana. You know, the statistics show us that, you know, 44% of people that use marijuana will advance on to harder drugs. And to me, that's very concerning. You know, that's almost half. You know, we have 70% of people in the United States that are pushing to legalize marijuana, but they don't talk about, you know, the negatives of it. You know, so, you know, what, what opened your eyes to the impact that high-potency modern forms of marijuana are having on individuals, families, and communities? You know, you were, you were a high school student not too long ago.

So, um, I've definitely noticed it because majority of the people in my school and most other schools are doing it, and they're either vaping or using marijuana or both. And I've noticed that it's The higher, like, the new products that we have are definitely way stronger than it used to be. And with my own experience, it caused a lot of depression and anxiety and everything. And at first it was just something I wanted to do, so I didn't see the negatives with it. But I definitely noticed that it was not good because a lot of younger kids now, like even in middle school, are using it. And that's definitely not good, and it's very easy accessible to get.

And yeah, yeah. So, you know, during that meeting today, um, we actually had, you know, some, some people that were informing me on some stuff that I, you know, I mean, I, I knew about it, you know, but I didn't realize, you know, I, I would— I was thinking, you know, marijuana and vaping and stuff is more of like a high school thing. I mean, I understand my research that it starts in middle school, but according to the experts that I was with today, they were saying that they're actually having more issues with drugs and marijuana specifically inside of middle schools, and that's very concerning to me. And, uh, you know, I think it's part of the plan, honestly. I think the marijuana industry is targeting out the individuals, um, as young as 7th and 8th graders because they know it's hooking them. And despite what people think, you know, I mean, and let me ask you, why do you think people will say things like marijuana is not addictive or there's no way that kids can access that stuff? You know, why do you think, you know, people think that?

Um, I think just because of how common, like, I graduated not that long ago in 2024. And when I was in middle school, nobody was smoking, nobody was vaping. Maybe like 2 kids out of the whole school was using marijuana, but now it's so common in middle school that kids are doing it. Because even I know, because I have friends whose siblings do it in middle school, and my own sister tells me. And so I think those people that think that it's not like people aren't doing it, they just don't know because it's become more common over the years.

Yeah, and I agree with that. I mean, and I think it happened so fast that people didn't catch it, and I think it was designed that way, um, you know, because for my research, you know, for our listeners right now, um, I researched, you know, between 2019 and 2024, there were 21.6 million— okay, we're not talking about thousands, we're talking about millions of applications from vaping companies that were sent to the FDA to try to get regulated so they could get a market order to be able to sell these products. And out of 21.6 million applications, 1 million of those applications were reviewed and only 30 products, 3-0 out of 21 million, were regulated to sell, you know. And, and out of the ones, a lot of the, the million that they read or that they denied, you know, they actually rejected them because they were not safe, you know. So as a result, these vaping industries, and, you know, they basically flooded the market, and it happened so fast that people couldn't keep up with it. And now we have a crisis, but nobody's talking about it, you know. To me, it's very concerning, you know. I've talked to a lot of kids, and for our viewers, I would, I would challenge you, you know, and Cameron, you can validate this probably, you know, I've asked just random people, you know, if you're in Walmart, you know, and you just go up to a random kid and ask them what grade they're in, you know, like, you're 9th grade, 10th grade, just ask them, you know, if I ask you between 0 to 100%, what percentage of students in your school do some form of vaping or smoking? Most of the responses I get are 60 to 75%. Do you think that's pretty accurate?

I feel like that's pretty accurate. I would say like 80%, so yeah.

You would say honestly 80%? Yeah, most, you know, and I know you're just guessing, you know, but most of the kids that I interview or I just randomly ask, because I talk to people, you know, and I'll just ask somebody, "Hey, what school do you go to? Okay, how many people do you think in your school vape?" And usually it's between 60 to 75%. You're saying 80. That's a huge number, you know. So people are in denial, you know. A lot of people out there are saying, oh, there's no way. Yes, there is a way, and it is happening, y'all. It's happening. So, you know, we need to start paying attention. All right, so, you know, the next question I have for you is, what do you think is the biggest misconception people have about today's marijuana industry? Compared to marijuana from previous generations?

Um, the biggest misconception would probably be I don't think people are aware of how, how much stronger it has gotten over the past years. And now that the younger generation is using these products, it's definitely, definitely not good. It is more legalized everywhere now too, so that's like an extra thing for it. But, um, I don't know, I just think it's— honestly, to me it's like two different drugs. The older forms when it was just on a plant, now we have like dab pens and all these different THC, Delta, all that. It's way stronger and it's almost a different thing. But I think that it's just people, most people haven't smoking, so they don't see a problem with it.

So what kind of problems are there? You know, because you always hear the positives, you know, people— it's always the same thing, you know, it helps me with anxiety, it helps me with depression, it helps me with my pain, it helps me, you know, like medical, okay. But in my research, I found more negatives than positives, you know. So why do you think people talk more about the positives of it than they do the negatives.

Um, well, my experience, I enjoyed doing it, so I would say that it was helping my depression or my anxiety, which I at the time I really thought it was until I quit. I think it's like, yeah, like, yes, medicated marijuana I don't think is the same, but like, I think it can, it can help people with their back pain or whatever, but that's the small percentage of people, I think. But I think that it's like, I used it as an excuse almost, because I truly did think it was helping me with my depression. But I really think it's causing those things, and people just don't realize that.

Okay, so what, um, see, so what do you think most people start for? Like, what is the reason most, you know, because, you know, again, it's a lot of kids that are starting Why do you think they start most of the time?

For kids, for me, I started because I was bored. I was one of those people who did not like going to school. I hated it all the way from like elementary through high school. I did not like going to school, but I was honestly just bored. And I guess too, like kids wanting to fit in and have, I guess it's their fun in school because that's how I used it. The more I used it, I got more addicted to it.

So, you know, what do you think led to you being addicted to it? You know, because a lot of people say there's no way you're addicted to marijuana. You know, we'll get into why that is in a minute, but you know, what do you think led you to get addicted to it, and how do you— how did you know when it was a problem?

For me, I started off vaping, and about my end of sophomore, beginning of— yeah, end of sophomore year of high school is when I started using THC products. I knew it was a problem because— or I knew I was getting addicted to it. It was because I couldn't go like 30 minutes without hitting the like pen. That's what I like to do. And like I would go all day long like being high to like after like a year, I, no matter how much I smoked, I couldn't get high. And, um, I ended up getting really sick from it, which is a whole nother thing.

Yeah, so, um, what kind of, you know, like what kind of sicknesses were you experiencing?

Um, well, I had, there was one time I had to go to the hospital because, um, I was just throwing up constantly. It would not stop. So my mom's like get in the car, we're going. And so, um, from then I, I knew a little what was wrong. Like, I couldn't eat without using marijuana, um, I couldn't sleep without using marijuana, I couldn't— I literally lost like 50, 60 lbs from not being able to eat because my like tolerance was that strong with it. And so I would go to the doctor cuz I had like severe stomach issues. I would go like— I would be super late going to school because I was sick, and it would affect my grades and everything. And I would go to the doctor and nobody could figure out until like a year later my stomach doctor helped me figure out. But it's called Cannaboid Hyperemesis Syndrome. Um, it's a new thing. That's how we know that the new products are not good because I feel like nobody had these issues back in the day. And yeah, Cannaboid Hyperemesis Syndrome, it's just, it's basically where your like body is like used to marijuana. When your tolerance is built up or you're trying to quit, you're not able to because you're just so sick. And so that, I was not able to quit like 5 different times of trying to because of me getting constantly sick.

Yeah. Now, you know, what's with my research and stuff, you know, I've read researched a lot about Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome. I've wrote about it, you know, learned a lot from you about it. And, you know, some people will still challenge you, you know, they'll try to say that's not a real thing. You know, one of my close friends actually told me when he read my book, he got to that part of Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome, CHS for short, for our viewers, and he basically said it didn't make sense to him. He was like, that doesn't sound right. But then when he started researching, he realized it was a thing because it's not the same drug anymore. You know, people that used to smoke 1 to 3% back in the '60s, '70s, '80s, you know, maybe 10%, 15% in the '90s, you know, they could just quit cold turkey most of the time, right? Didn't come with sickness or illness or anything. But now modern cannabis is high potency, you know, 60, 70, 80, 90% strength. So it's having a different effect on your body. You know, some people say, well, marijuana makes you fat. It doesn't make you lose weight. Okay. But with CHS, it does make you lose weight, right? You know why?

I did gain a lot of weight when I first started smoking.

Yeah. Yeah. So what do you think was the switch? You know, like what led to the switch, you know, from like getting the munchies or whatever to you now you're losing weight?

Um, like for me, like you said, um, when I first started smoking, I ate a lot of food and I gained a lot of weight because it made me hungry. And so, um, when I was trying to quit, or at first I first started noticing, I wasn't trying to quit at the time, it was because my intolerance was so high for it that I could not possibly get high. Like, I could smoke all the weed and not get high. Like, Yeah, and people call it tea breaks. Like, I was addicted to it, so I would not take a break from it to gain the tolerance back, which was like impossible for me. And so I noticed it started being a problem because I just started losing weight out of nowhere. Like, you even know, y'all were like probably weirded out about it. I started losing a lot of weight. Um, I wasn't able to eat. Like, it was literally so bad, like, I couldn't even get myself to swallow my food. Like, it was awful. It would just make me sick. And so that's when I started noticing. And I basically, at first, I kind of diagnosed myself because I would literally— I knew every single time, like, this is from the marijuana. And so I started doing my own research is when I found about Cannaboid Hyperemesis Syndrome. And also I have like friends and people who smoke, and they always say like they can't eat without it. It just— it does affect people differently. And for me, it affected me really bad.

So yeah, that's right. And I think, you know, it does affect everybody different, you know. So you gotta, you gotta take it serious, you know, because a lot of people, they just worry about them. They just worry about themselves, you know. It doesn't make me this way, so I don't want to talk about what it does to everybody else, right? Is that, is that a good way to think?

Um, I don't think so because If it's not you, it's still happening to a lot of other people, and that's definitely an issue.

Yeah, yeah. And you know, there's, there's a lot of other things that people can turn to, in my opinion, right? Okay, but anyway, let's look at this next question here. You know, what, what first— well, let's see what— I was about to read the same question. All right, so what do you think is What is the biggest misconception people have about today's marijuana industry compared to marijuana from previous generations?

Um, the biggest misconception, just that, I don't know, I think just people truly enjoy doing it and they don't see anything wrong with it.

Yeah, I mean, not the same. Yeah, you know, it's definitely not the same thing. And that's, you know, I think it's important that we make sure the narrative is, is talked about correctly because you have a big generational gap. You know, people that are celebrating— the 70% of people that are celebrating legalization, they're probably talking about the marijuana that they smoked when they were a kid. You know, they're growing the stuff, they're smoking the true plant, the real plant, 1 to 3% strength, but now you got kids hitting 70, 80, 90%. It's not the same thing, and it's going to affect everybody different. So, you know, when you talk about marijuana, you can't talk about it like it's all created equal, like it's all the same thing, right? Now, when you were in school, you know, What do you, what, what, you know, THC strength do you think the average high school student has access to?

Um, well, for me, um, I remember, I remember when I first started smoking, like it was about to be summer and I was stressed out that nobody could get me anything. And so I was like, some people told me like, there's like 2 smoke shops in our town, they don't ID. And I'm like, oh, let me try. I was like 16 walking in smoke shops. And, um, I think a lot of the products there is not actual bud, like the plant. It's THC and deltas and the dabs and all that stuff, which is not the same as the plant. And so a lot of— I think a lot of kids that do have access, they, they're able— because I'm sure a lot of places in every state there's smoke shops that you can just walk into. And so, um, I definitely think that a lot of middle schoolers and high schoolers are using those kind of products, which are not good at all.

Yeah, so, you know, a lot of people, again, they're, they're in denial about it. Like, they, they don't think, you know, they'll, they'll fight somebody. Like, I was, I was on our Facebook group out here, you know, some on a lot of Facebook groups and stuff, and in our hometown here. And, you know, somebody posted something about this shop is selling to miners and this, this and that, and a whole bunch of people were like, no way, there's no way they're doing that. And then like 5 comments later, there was like 3 other people that were like, yes way, they are doing that because they sold it to me when I was a miner, you know. And like they're admitting to it, but then people are still like, no way. It's like they're just really in denial, you know? And my thing is it is happening, you know? So, you know, we got to start being honest that it's a problem, right? Because if kids at young ages are getting hooked and such a large percentage of them are using, what is the future of our drug problem in America looking like? What do you think?

Um, especially— I was walking in smoke shops at 15 because I started vaping way before I started smoking marijuana. And I look young, so I know that they knew I was not 21. But, um, I think just because of how, like, again, people in middle school were not smoking when I was in middle school, but now they are because I had a sister who's in middle school and I have friends who have siblings and they all tell me, and I think it's just from here, I just think it's going to get worse. It's getting more legalized, and it's— yeah.

And why do you think it's getting more legalized? You know, I, I'm— I try to use common sense, you know what I'm saying? I look at all the negatives. You have kids, a large population of kids getting addicted to this. They're struggling in school. In a lot of cases, it's making their mental health worse because they're getting put on antidepressant medication. Their parents have no clue that they're smoking marijuana, and the side effects of using marijuana and a high-potency marijuana, more importantly, with cannabis, it's actually making conditions even worse, right? So what— with all that going on, why do you think 70% of people are pushing to legalize?

Um, I think a big thing could be like The people who are pushing it, they probably do use the product, so they don't see the issues with it. Um, and that's a big reason.

Or maybe they just don't care about the issues.

Yeah, I think people just don't care. They, they don't have enough research on their own to see the issues that come with it. They just think it's— you're getting high, that's it. But it really causes a lot of other stuff too.

Yeah.

And I think, you know, the marijuana industry is trying to secretly come in and make it where nobody questions it anymore, just like alcohol. You know, like I had somebody the other day get all attitudey with me. They were like, why don't you worry about alcohol versus marijuana? You know, it kills more people than marijuana. I'm like, yeah, it does. It does. You're 100% right, dude. You know, and that's why we should be talking about marijuana, right? Because if alcohol is known to cause 7 types of cancer, it is killing more people, and it doesn't stop them. They're still drinking it, you know, but they don't question it. They don't talk about it anymore because the narrative is no longer there, you know. And if we're not careful, the marijuana industry is gonna sneak in and do the same thing, and eventually we're just not gonna talk about it anymore, right? But now it's at the expense of kids. Um, so yeah, I mean, you know, if you're a viewer out there, I would encourage you to, to do your research on it. You know, it's not that we're, we're trying to come down on you and tell you not to, not to smoke marijuana for medical reasons or whatever your reasons are. We're not trying to make you feel bad or demonize you, but we need to be honest about it because it is affecting people. It's causing a major problem, right? Would you, would you agree with that, Cameron?

I do agree.

Okay. Do you think it affects How do you think it affects kids in school? Like, how does it affect them?

Well, I remember, um, like, for me, I lost all focus. I didn't— like I said, I didn't like school before, so I lost like all my focus. I didn't care about my grades. I didn't care. I just wanted to get high, wanted to meet up with my friends in the bathroom and smoke and everything. And even the Schools tried to prevent it by putting like smoke detectors in the bathroom, but we knew our way around it. And like, it's just, I think it's definitely affecting kids' grades, whether they don't think— most of them will probably tell you that it helps them focus. That's a big one. But it really does not. If you're sitting in class high, you're not going to remember what the teacher talked about when you leave the class.

And that's, that story changes once they, uh, once they get clean. Clean too, because all the ones I know that got clean, they'll come back and say, oh, now, now I'm actually really making good grades, you know, like I'm more motivated, right?

That's how I am with my college.

Yeah, so they, they know, they know the reality, you know, it's just, uh, do we want to be honest about it, right? Um, all right, so, you know, we're about halfway through here. So I talked about, um, you being in the green glitch So I'm going to show our viewers the documentary trailer real quick. So let me put that up and then we'll come right back to the questions here. Okay, give me one sec here. Let me pull this up. Okay, so here we go. I'll play this for our viewers. If this isn't the marijuana of the '60s and '70s, then why are we still treating it like it is?

This isn't the marijuana you remember. For decades, marijuana carried a reputation reputation. Natural, harmless, even peaceful. But somewhere along the way, it changed. Stronger, faster, engineered. What if what we're calling marijuana today isn't marijuana at all? In the 1960s and '70s, marijuana averaged between 1 and 3% THC. Today, concentrates and cartridges can reach 90%. This isn't evolution. It's engineering.

People think it's going to be a solution when it's going to be the problem, and a lot of people will never realize that it's the problem.

I was in 7th grade when somebody offered me a vape.

When 70% of the population encourages the legalization of marijuana, why would kids have anything to worry about?

If you were like me, I didn't like doing anything other than marijuana. All I wanted to do, like, my parents would go do something fun, they would go get breakfast, and I wanted to stay home so I could hide in my room and smoke. Like, that's what I wanted to do.

26.6 million applications, 1.2 million reviewed, 30 approved. And that's not a system saying everything is fine. That's a system quietly telling us something is very wrong. In reality, the signs of cannabis addiction are all around us. They're not hidden in dark alleys or dramatic breakdowns. They're woven into everyday conversations, routines, and excuses. All we have to do is slow down, listen, and ask the right questions.

If 70% of people in the United States considered this reality, we might actually be able to stop a child from becoming addicted. It's marijuana.

There we go.

So that was the trailer for the film. I would encourage you to check that out. I'll share it in the chat box there, the links. You guys can go check it out if you haven't seen it yet. So Cameron, you know, tell us a little bit about, you know, why you said what you said there.

Um, that was definitely an important part because, um, it was true. I didn't see the problem. Like, again, I thought I was just depressed, but it was really because I was addicted to the drug, so I wanted to stay home. Like, I remember you guys, my family, y'all would go on the bait— or the bait— the boat. Um, y'all would go get breakfast, like I said, anywhere. Like, I would just rather stay home so I could hide in my room or go outside and get high. And that's definitely horrible because I feel like there's probably other people out there like that too, because majority of middle schoolers who are smoking, and, um, high schoolers too, their parents probably don't know. Now there's like a good half of— because I know some of my friends, their parents would like let them do it, so that's a whole nother thing. But if you're like me, um, and you're doing it, you're your parents don't know, or you're hiding it from them. Wanting to smoke and not be around family is not a good thing. Sad.

Yeah, it is sad. And, you know, 60%, you know, the stats— like I said, there's a lot of them— the actual stats are 60% of parents right now don't know that their kids are using. So that's sad, you know. So I think this book and film will help people And parents kind of understand that bigger picture, you know. So how do you think, how do you think parents can help, help kids, you know, nowadays that are struggling with it?

Um, you're— I think definitely being supportive. Um, don't just get angry at them, I think, too, because if a kid is truly struggling with it and they— but they like doing it, they're not gonna quit. Like, you can ground them, you can— that's what happened to me. You could ground them, you can do whatever, but they're not gonna— they're gonna find the little cracks to squeeze in to be able to keep doing it. Um, so definitely just be supportive— or not supportive, but like, you know what I mean? It's like, yeah, yeah.

Because with you, you know, I remember, uh, you know, when you first started, you know, we found out, you know, I was, I was mad. It's like, you're grounded, I'm gonna punish you. But then when I saw like how sick you actually were, you know. Yeah, I was like, man, this is like a lot more going on, you know. So then it makes me wonder, you know, and I did the research on it, like, how many other kids are dealing with that, you know. Um, and that's one thing I'm trying to encourage administrators, you know, if you're a teacher out there, an administrator, you know, I think what we're doing is not working. I don't think we can just continue to punish people, you know, without offering them a solution. You know, because in my opinion, and you could tell me what you think, Cameron, I think a lot of young people are highly addicted to marijuana or vaping or smoking, um, and they probably have been for a long time. And by the time anybody finds out about it, it's too late, you know, because they can't tell the doctor, they can't tell their parents because they don't want to get in trouble, they can't tell the administration at the school because they don't want to get in trouble. So as a result, that person just suffers quietly with an addiction that's slowly eating them, eating at them and holding them back in school and their motivation and everything else. You know, so what do you think about that?

I think I agree with that. I think that just like punishing and getting mad and all that, it's just like I said, the kid or teenager, whoever, they're going to want to do it. Um, if they're enjoying doing it, they're not gonna want to quit. So you taking their phone for a month or whatever, it's not gonna— they're just gonna go in that smoke shop and get another one or have someone give it to them. But I, I think like just talking to them and helping them in that way can help them, but they're gonna, they're gonna have to want to stop on their own.

Yeah, yeah, I agree with that. You know, now what if, you know, if you could go back in time knowing what you know now, what would you tell your future self if you could go back in time?

If I knew how it was gonna affect me, 'cause then I just saw my friends were doing it and so I was like, oh, it must be fun. Like we're just gonna get high and that's it. But I didn't know the actual bad benefits that came with it, like getting sick and not losing interest in a lot of the things I liked doing. Like, I lost complete all of my hobbies, like I love to do. I didn't like doing them at all anymore. And so I would tell myself, like, I would just tell myself all those things, and I probably would have stayed clear from it.

Yeah. And, you know, most of the, most of the kids that I've talked to or interviewed they'll kind of say the same thing, you know. It's like once they stopped, all those things came back that they like to do, that they enjoy— spending time with family, you know, they just felt happier, you know, they were making better grades. It's like, it's such a, it's such a delusion, you know, like, or an illusion, I guess I should say, you know, you know, that people are dealing with. So, okay, so next question here. All right, in your experience, how has increased marijuana use affected youth mental health, addiction, or recovery efforts?

Um, can you repeat it?

Yep, so in your experience, how has increased marijuana use affected youth mental health, addiction, or recovery efforts?

Um, like we were talking about earlier, um, like for me it caused a lot of depression, anxiety. It was, it got to the point where I couldn't even like, um, order food at a drive-through because I did not want to talk to anyone. Like I had, and I knew it was an issue too because anytime that I didn't smoke marijuana, I noticed like it, I could go in a grocery store and like go talk to someone But as soon as I like smoked again and got high, like I could not do it. It was awful. And to think, just like quitting too is super hard. Like it took me again, even if I didn't get sick from it, it would still be hard because you're so, addiction I think is definitely a real thing with it. If you can't go a day without smoking, then you're definitely addicted. But it's just—

yeah, so, you know, I was reading, you know, a lot of people get, uh, a dopamine overload, you know. So basically, like, you feel like— you, you feel like you got super anxiety, like you kind of freak out a little bit, you know, or you're gonna be super calm one minute and then like freaking out the next, you know. Is that kind of like what you were dealing with?

Definitely. It was— it was— yeah, I never thought about it like that, but because I know the thing about it, it was like I don't know, like the last months of me smoking, I had really bad anxiety. But when I first started smoking, it made me more like, I want to talk to everyone. So I guess it just— I don't know.

Yeah. And you know, what, what percentage of THC did you start with?

Um, like, I— only time I got like actual like bud from the plant was, um, like I had people who would get it for me, but it was easier for me to go in smoke shops and they have like THC products. So I used a lot of like THC products, um, oils. I can't remember, like TCA, um, dabs. I did a lot of Deltas, which I was doing like those, the higher up ones, like Delta 10 and 11.

Yeah, those are, uh, those are probably not good for you, huh? Yep. But you know, unfortunately, I think that's what most of kids are having access to, right? Oh yeah, because you can't just walk into a dispensary and get a true marijuana plant, right?

Yeah. And, um, one thing I've, I've never— because I could go and smoke shops, but I know a lot of people, it's called like street carts. Like, it's like the dab pens, but they get them from people. Like, I don't know where they come from. And I know it's called street carts because they're like very illegal. They're not I don't know what's in those.

Yeah, and there's actually been cases of, you know, they're starting to find like meth inside of these things, you know. So it's like, man, you know, we're gonna have to start paying attention on this stuff because if 60% of parents don't know their kids are using, you know, what are you, what are you gonna do when you, you get a phone call that your kid is passed out in the hallway at school? School, you know, because he was laced by a vape that had methamphetamines or fentanyl in it or something, you know what I'm saying? Like, yeah, that kind of stuff is happening.

Oh, I'm pretty sure I got laced one time because my intolerance was there, like, no matter how much I smoked. And I, I hit this kid's pen, um, and like, I've never talked to this kid before. I don't, I don't even know. And I, like, when I tell you, like, I had to go home early 'cause it was bad, I was super, I don't even know how to explain it, but it was not marijuana, I just know.

Well, let me ask you this then, you know, 'cause like we were talking about that today at my meeting, you know, why do you think kids are like so willing to just take whatever somebody offers to them? Like you literally just pass them around, you know what I'm saying? Like why are y'all so brave and willing to do that? You know, like why are, you know, middle schoolers and high schoolers, you know, 'cause you know their parents are telling them not to do it. Because it's dangerous, right? And you just gave us an example, you know, so why, you know, why are we doing that?

I think honestly because we just didn't— or people too now, they just don't care. Like, for me, I didn't care. And I hear a lot of people that, like, some people will say they'd rather die than quit. Like, it's that bad. I really think it's just— and that is addiction. If you'd rather die than quit a substance, that is addiction. And I think, I don't know, I just think that I would literally take anything just to feel something, I guess, because you're so dependent. Like, like, it was so bad that when I was sober, I felt more high.

Yeah. So why do you think, um, you know, I was reading something, you know, medical marijuana users, you know, right now they're saying like almost over half of medical marijuana are meeting the medical criteria, the medical definition for cannabis use disorder. Why do you think that's happening?

Um, you said— can you repeat it again?

Yeah, almost half, almost half of medical marijuana users are meeting the medical definitions or the medical criteria for cannabis use disorder?

Um, hmm.

So almost half of users are abusing— basically half of medical users are abusing medical marijuana. Why is that?

I think it might just be an excuse like, oh, it's medicated, so it's not the real stuff, or it's helping me with this. But I feel like it's— I'm sure some, for a small percentage of people, yes, it helps. Because I don't think there's a small percentage of people who don't abuse it. Like, they, they probably do only smoke once a month and like it helps their back or whatever, and that's— I feel like that's fine, whatever. But most people, especially younger people, they don't use it that way. They just, they smoke every day, and that's not good, especially medicated marijuana. I think that's just an excuse to be able to legalize it too.

And the, you know, the— why, why do you think the people that do use don't want to have the discussion about the negatives?

Um, 'cause then again, I don't remember, but I think, I think they do it because it feel like— for me, it felt good. I didn't want I want to quit because it made me feel good. So it's the same for them.

Probably. Yeah. Okay, so we're almost done here. All right, so in your experience, um, what warning signs should parents, teachers, pastors, community leaders be paying closer attention to when it comes to cannabis use amongst young people?

Um, I think One of the biggest warning signs is like your child, if you don't know they're doing it, or anyone like a teacher, whoever. I think the best thing to look out for is like, like loss of interest in like everything. Like if a kid was making all straight A's and then their grades just randomly dropped, or they liked playing a sport and they don't want to do it anymore, or like me, they just wanted to stay home all the time but they used to go on the bus boat with their family or go out to eat. Um, I think those are big things to look out for.

Yep, kind of withdraw, right? Like withdrawing. Yeah, that's a, it's a classic symptom.

Or just random depression approaching or anything like that.

Yep, I agree with that. All right, so, you know, parents, pay attention. Um, okay, if you could leave our audience with one message about making informed decisions regarding marijuana use, what would it be?

Um, just think about, like, if you haven't started yet, just think about the bad things, because I think a lot of people don't think about the negatives that come with it. They just think of, oh, it'll make me feel good or something. But definitely look at the— do your research, look at the negatives that come with it and listen to other people's stories. But I suggest don't start doing it because if you haven't started yet, stay like that. It's the best thing you can do.

Yeah, I agree. Okay. And what gives you hope that our communities can address these challenges and better support young people moving forward?

I think if more people just open their eyes and wanted to— I think more people, again, more people need to look at the negatives because I think they don't. I think they just look at what it can help with. But, um, and I hope— I just hope that because it's more people are doing it now, so I, I hope that a lot of states don't start legalizing it, even though I don't think that's gonna make people quit, but Yeah, yeah, and that's a whole nother topic because the law is the law, right?

Like, I've been reading, you know, yes, some states have legalized, but it's still illegal in all 50 states to consume cannabis while you are driving, right? So You know, yeah, people are going to do it, you know, but my thing is you can't get mad at your kids when they get into trouble when you've literally been breaking the law with them in the car driving them to school, right? I literally smell marijuana in the school, the elementary school, you know, drop-off, right? I'm like, what example are you setting here? You know what I'm saying? Basically, you're telling kids it's okay to break the law. That's what you're telling them. You know, so that's a tough pill to swallow. Nobody likes that, but it's true, right? And the only way you're going to fix problems is to be truthful. So, you know, I would tell people, don't be scared of truth, okay? Live by the truth, have integrity, teach your kids to have integrity, because when you do, they're more likely to, you keep their head on straight, right, and not do the wrong things, you know. So, you know, now you're in college making straight A's now, right?

I am.

That's awesome. Congratulations on that. So, you know, I look forward to seeing you go off into your career field, and hopefully you can help out a lot of people. And, you know, what message would you give our school administrators that are listening to this? What would you tell them? What advice would you tell them? Because, you know, I believe, and tell me if I'm wrong, that most addiction starts in school. I really believe that, you know, because 5% of student smokers will say they— well, only 5% of smokers that start as a juvenile think that they will continue after high school. Okay, but the reality is 75% continue after high school well into their adult years. Some people all the way till the day they die. So, you know, I believe most addiction starts in school. So, you know, I don't know what you think about that, but what, what advice would you give our administrators, maybe our law enforcement officers that are out there, you know, county sheriffs, politicians? What advice would you give them?

I would say don't ignore it because I feel like I've, I've made eye contact with teachers in school before and I knew 100% they knew I was high. And I would just say don't ignore it. Like, I don't think it's something that should be ignored because it's just going to make it worse. Same with, I remember like me and my friends at 16, 15 would be walking around with vapes and you're gonna see a cop, they don't, they definitely know you're underage with it. And I think it's, I just think it's very ignored, and I would just say don't ignore it because— and help, help them. Yeah.

Um, and what do you, what do you think some steps are that they could do? You know, let's say law enforcement, you know, like what— I'm gonna have a, uh, a county sheriff on here pretty soon to kind of talk about this from the law enforcement perspective, you know. But if he was on here right now, what would you tell him? You know, What advice would you tell the county sheriff to look for in their county?

I don't know.

I would tell them—

I know, tough questions.

That's a hard question. I got to think. I don't know. I would just tell them like, Like, I don't know, I feel like a lot of people are like not scared of cops, but like, I don't know, they're not gonna be honest with the cop about it. Like, but I think more cops can just be like nicer, I guess, about it. Like, talk to them, have a conversation if you see someone. But like, I don't know, like punishing is not gonna do anything. They're just— they go to juvenile service or have to do, what's it called, um, I forgot probation or community services. Yeah, that kind of stuff is— they're just gonna do it and have a vape in their pocket anyways. So like, I don't know, I think just communication and motivation.

Now I think at some point, you know, okay, yeah, you got to bring the hammer down, um, you know. But I think, you know, right now it's like it's either too extreme, like it's either too hard, you know, lock them up, put them in jail for life, or we just let them go and then we don't do anything to help them, right?

Yeah.

So like, we got to figure out something, you know, and that's where your job comes in. That's what you get to do. So that's cool. So, um, it'll be fun, you know. I, I definitely want to have you back on here, um, once you finish your, your bachelor's degree, tell us how that's going and And then you're about to have a baby.

I am. Yeah, in September.

Yep, get to see my grandbaby. So, you know, hopefully you'll do some good work. Got to keep that baby safe too, right?

Yes.

Yeah, that's right. So I think that's about it. So once we finish here, Cameron, don't close out your screen. Screen until you see up at the top there, it's got that little uploading thing. Yeah, it's at like 84%.

Oh, I see. Mine says 99.

Yeah, wait up, wait till it gets to 100 before you close it out so that way we don't lose everything. Okay, um, any last words you want to tell our viewers?

Um, if you haven't started smoking, don't con— or don't start because there's no there's not a lot of positives with it and you don't want to go down that road. And if you are, I suggest you just do the research and cut down and stop it. It'll be better for you. At least try, at least try to quit and see how you feel. So yeah, cool beans.

Yeah, and I appreciate you, you being honest on here and talking about stuff that no one else wants to talk about. That's what we do on here. So that's what we're gonna continue to do on here, alright? Because light always outshines darkness.

Yes, it does.

And if I can save or help save one kid from being addicted, then that's what I want to do. If I have to have tough conversations to do that, then that's what I'm gonna do. And I know it takes courage for you to be on here as well, you know. And if you're watching and maybe this resonated with you and you want to share your story of addiction, okay, reach out to me. I would love to have you on here. I would love to hear your story and let you bring some light to this world. So thanks for tuning in, guys. I'm gonna show you guys one more trailer that I have for my new film, and this one kind of takes addiction into an adult perspective. Okay, starring me, myself, and I. Alright, so I'm gonna put that on real quick and then we'll go ahead and end this thing. This is called Through the Veil. It kind of shows the way addiction takes hold over time in the lives of an adult.

As dawn breaks, the cycle begins again. The alarm sounds. He rises, drives the same winding road, sits at the same desk, speaks the same hollow words. To the world, he appears functional, but inside he is unraveling. Every mile is haunted by memories of what he threw away, Every quiet moment echoes with the voices he no longer hears. The laughter of his children, the love of his wife, the faith he abandoned when the darkness seemed easier to embrace. There are forces that have been with him all along, and tonight the veil will be lifted. And what has been stalking him in the darkness will finally step forward to claim what remains of his soul.

He was victorious over death, hell, and the grave. We are made to be victorious.

You are victorious in Christ.

With Christ in our life, we are victorious.

Glorious in life and in death. Hallelujah! We are the Lord.

So that is So that is Through the Veil, and I'm excited, guys. That's gonna be going through the film festival circuits as well. So stay tuned, guys. JT Books and Films, we got a lot coming at you. Maybe we'll talk about spiritual warfare sometime here soon too. So, but again, Cameron, you are awesome.

Thank you.

Yeah, we love you, and thanks for tuning in. All the way from California.

You're welcome. Thank you for having me.

Yeah, thank you. I know you were, uh, you were busy and, um, busy being pregnant and stuff, so, you know, you didn't want to, you know, take too much time out of your busy day. But no, we do appreciate it, and, um, we'll see you soon, buddy.

Thank you.

All right, have a good night.

Thank you.