The Weed Got Too Strong

By Sivabalaji Kaliamurthy

Dr. Kaliamurthy is a child and adolescent addiction psychiatrist at Children’s National Hospital and Howard University in Washington, D.C.

My patient was 14 years old the first time his grandmother drove him two hours to my clinic. He told me he tried weed when he was 8 and had been smoking or vaping it daily since he was 12, often using highly concentrated products purchased from friends or dealers. “It helps me relax,” said the patient, who moved in with his grandmother after his mother died and his father was incarcerated.

His life told a different story. Now 16, this young man struggles with persistent depression, failing grades and escalating anger. He had punched holes in walls, been suspended from school and was hospitalized for suicidal thoughts. He’s one........

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