David Packhem is executive director of Maine-based nonprofit Students Empowered to End Dependency (SEED) and executive producer of the documentary “Voices of Hope: The Rugged Road to Recovery.” He has some concerns and warnings about the high potency of today’s marijuana in use in Maine.
Packhem is trying to raise awareness of the current situation by presenting at several area high schools, including Scarborough High School on April 12. He warned, “At their present rate of growth, and taking into account the black market, marijuana sales in Maine will likely exceed $1 billion in the next two years. By Maine’s own survey, 41% of citizens use marijuana, and half of that number use marijuana daily.
According to the same survey, 90% of the marijuana used in Maine is high potency, meaning it contains more than 10% tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, the psychoactive component of the plant. Before 2000, the average marijuana flower contained between 2% and 5% THC. Today, Mainers can buy flowers containing well over 20% THC. Distilled chemical concentrates in vapes, edibles and other forms can exceed 90% THC.
It is important to know that still-developing brains make teens and young adults uniquely vulnerable to addiction. According to one study, marijuana can be extremely addictive for teens and young adults, which makes it alarming that 66% of Maine teens believe marijuana is safe to use once or twice per week.
One justification for legalization was to reduce opioid deaths. But in states like Maine, the opposite seems to be happening. Fatal overdoses are likely to continue because the first rung of the addiction ladder is often marijuana.
According to Packhem’s research, Maine Health’s emergency departments treated more than 5,200 patients with a cannabis-related diagnosis in 2022. Twenty-six percent of those patients were under 18. Studies suggest that anxiety and depression in youth may be exacerbated and sometimes triggered by marijuana use.
Packhem concluded, “While at first glance a growing economy is appealing, addiction affects every aspect of society and enslaves far too many to a life of suffering and lost potential. Decades ago, tobacco executives discovered that young people are burdened with a unique propensity for addiction. It’s time for Maine to adopt strict regulatory controls on marijuana and not relive the past.”
In the video series, Voices of Hope, several present and former students of local schools including Scarborough High, Windham High and Gorham High, tell their stories of drug and alcohol use, addiction and recovery. Packhem’s information seems particularly relevant at this time, and it is important that several members of the Gorham school community were interested in attending his workshop in Scarborough.
For more information and to contact David Packhem and his staff, please visit their website at seedmaine.org.