Welcome to Real Issues
As Christians, we belong to Jesus. We love and obey Jesus. We follow Jesus... wherever He might lead us. The simple fact is that Jesus loves the whole world and He came to redeem everything. As his people, then, we are called to go into all of those places and among all those people with the light of His gospel. As His people, He has called us to be in the world, but not of the world. So it'd probably be a good idea to understand the world.
With Real Issues, it is our hope to equip you to live in the world as wise as serpents and innocent as doves. We will begin conversations that give you the information you need to follow Jesus into all the places and to all the people He is calling you. Some of these conversations will be from a Christian perspective, others may not. So, join us as we seek to know and love those around us.
Real Issue - The Dangerous Truth of Today's Marijuana
Our first Real Issue conversation will feature Laura Stack of Johnny’s Ambassadors. We will learn about the difference in high potency marijuana products used by today’s young people compared to the stuff you grew up with, understand how adolescent marijuana use affects the developing brain, and it’s connection with suicide.
Laura will be with us on Sunday, November 12 from 6:30p-8:00p
This event is free and open to the public. Childcare is available upon request at fcchurch.org/childcare. You can also contact 303.928.7102 or dcarter@fcchurch.org with questions.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Laura Stack’s 19-year-old son, Johnny, died by suicide on November 20, 2019, after becoming psychotic from dabbing high-THC marijuana concentrates. Soon afterward, Laura started a 501c, Johnny’s Ambassadors, to educate parents, teens, and communities about the dangers of today’s high-THC marijuana on adolescent brain development, mental illness, and suicide. In this session, Laura will share the story of Johnny’s marijuana addiction from a parent’s point of view, a poignant chronicle of the shocking descent from innocence to eventual suicide. Before marijuana, Johnny was a computer whiz with a 4.0 GPA and a perfect math score on the SAT. After marijuana, he stole his family dog from the home and threatened to kill it without payment from his mother. With moving candor, Laura traces the first warning signs, their attempts at rehabilitation, and his eventual demise. Three days before his death, Johnny issued his own warning about marijuana usage. Through this tragic tale, Stack hopes to help parents talk to their children about the dangers of using marijuana. Laura’s real-life story is backed by recent scientific research on how today’s THC products can harm our youth. This presentation is a clarion call for parents across America to educate themselves about the risks of today’s high-THC marijuana products and to better understand the potentially devastating effects on their children.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
For 30 years, Laura Stack was best known in the business world as “The Productivity Pro.” Her career as a keynote speaker, bestselling author of eight books, and corporate spokesperson came to a screeching halt on November 20, 2019, when her 19-year-old son, Johnny, died by suicide after becoming psychotic from dabbing high-THC marijuana concentrates. Laura responded by forming the nonprofit, Johnny’s Ambassadors, to educate parents, teens, and communities about the dangers of today’s high-THC marijuana on adolescent brain development, psychosis, and suicide. Her platform now brings prevention education to drug prevention conferences, community groups, and schools to stop youth marijuana use.
Johnny’s story has been told in People Magazine, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Epoch Times, the Ingraham Angle, the Untold Story with Martha MacCallum, and PBS. Laura is the recipient of the Drug-Free America Foundation’s Moxie Award for protecting youth from substances, the Leadership in Advocacy Award from the National Speakers Association, and the American Association of Suicidology’s Loss Survivor of the Year Award. Laura is a powerful speaker who brings Johnny’s personal warning and solid research together in her book, The Dangerous Truth About Today’s Marijuana: Johnny Stack’s Life and Death Story. Described as a force of nature with unstoppable drive and unwavering purpose, Laura is determined to get teens to #StopDabbing.
