The Weld RE-4 School District will host a teen marijuana prevention talk for parents from 6 - 8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 23, in the Windsor High School Auditorium. Speaker Laura Stack from Johnny’s Ambassadors Youth Marijuana Prevention will present.

The event is free to attend, and will cover:

• A photo tour of a Colorado dispensary and products used by today’s youth
• The Eendocannabinoid system and how THC interferes with adolescent brain development
• The results of legalizing medical marijuana for 18-year-old’s in Colorado
• How adolescent marijuana use can lead to mental illness and psychosis
• The connection between youth marijuana use and suicidality

The January 23 evening presentation is geared toward parents and will cover content appropriate for individuals 18+. 

“We are committed to providing the most effective approaches to preventing the use of recreational marijuana use by our students,” said Ahmad Sedaghat, district Mental Health & Wellness Coordinator. “Research consistently shows that teens who learn about the risks of drugs are less likely to use substances than teens who don’t.” 

Stack will also speak to students at Severance and Windsor middle and high schools. The student presentation will cover Johnny’s story, marijuana “then” vs. “now,” adolescent brain development, the impacts of THC, the risks of mental illness, refusal skills, and more.

About Laura Stack and Johnny’s Ambassadors Youth Marijuana Prevention

Stack’s 19-year-old son, Johnny, died by suicide on November 20, 2019, after becoming delusional from dabbing high-THC marijuana concentrates. Before marijuana, Johnny was a computer whiz with a 4.0 GPA and a perfect math score on the SAT. Three days before his death, Johnny issued his own warning about how using marijuana had ruined his mind and his life. Soon after Johnny’s death, Stack founded Johnny’s Ambassadors, a nonprofit focused on educating parents and teens about the dangers of youth marijuana use. For more information, visit the organization’s website, johnnysambassadors.org.

The presentation is made possible through a partnership with the Weld Trust and the Windsor Rotary Club.

For more information, email engage@weldre4.org.