Intervention Aroostook: 3.15.2022

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine (WAGM) -A woman who lost a son to suicide and addiction is sharing the tragedy with others nationwide, in hopes more families don’t have to experience the same pain. Shawn Cunningham reports in this week’s Intervention Aroostook.

OPEN SOT: “He would stop and recover and the psychosis would go away but sadly he would start back up again and three days before he died he came home and said mom you were right...about the marijuana you told me it would hurt my brain and has ruined my mind my life and I’m very sorry and three days later he was gone”

Laura Stack has recounted and told the tragic story of her losing her son Johnny first to marijuana addiction and then death by suicide so many times. But it never gets old in fact for teens, parents and communities who are hearing it for the first time she hopes it will be the thing that keeps youth from trying marijuana. It’s the reason she started Johnny’s Ambassadors..

“we are so passionate about getting the word out because I didn’t understand as a parent I thought to myself oh you know its just weed it’s not just weed and I’ve gained so much knowledge that if I had had back then I probably could have saved him.”

Shawn Cunningham NO STANDUP

So now she’s trying to save other youngsters from going down the same path. Stack who lives in Colorado, one of the first states to legalize recreational marijuana use travels to others states nationwide including which just legalized it a few years ago to spread her message of education, awareness and hopefully prevention. While its legal she says marijuana is far from safe...

“when kids are stressed or feeling depressed or feeling anxious marijuana is not a solution research has shown it actually increases those things.”

And while she’s more educated now on the controversial topic after her son’s death...she ‘s not oblivious to the reality that even after hearing Johnny’s story there might be some youth who may still move toward trying the substance. After all her son did...

“He used the first time when he was fourteen with a friend who had a med card and was 18 and they all wanted to get high and unfortunately he latched right on to the marijuana he was 14 at the time and he was incredibly addicted...”

But throughout his battle, she says her love never wavered for Johnny, nor did hope he would win out over his addiction. It didn’t happen for her son...but she’s hoping these talks will have it happen for someone else’s son or daughter. \

“Just because its legal doesn’t mean its safe in fact there’s a lot of harm that will come to you...

Shawn Cunningham, NS 8.

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