EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KOAA) — Tuesday, a new public education campaign launched across El Paso and Teller counties to warn parents and young adults about the risks of ultra-potent marijuana products, including vapes, wax, and dabs.
The campaign provides science-backed resources for families, including guidance for starting conversations about substance use.
Whitney Yeager is helping lead the effort after her son, Samuel Boone Yeager, was experiencing a cannabis-induced psychotic (CIP) episode on the day he died.
"April 3rd, 2021, he passed," said Yeager.
On the day that he was killed, he had quit smoking marijuana 4 days prior.
"He went on a hike with a friend, and his friend didn’t know that he had quit smoking pot."
The friend offered Sam a joint on the hike, and Sam agreed to smoke it.
After the hike, they planned on going to a shooting range and had their guns in a case inside the car.
“In the car, they got in an argument, and his friend kicked him out of his car at Happy Canyon at I-25 exit.”
The friend then called 911, telling them they had smoked and his friend was 'hallucinating' and had a weapon.
“I got the news at 1:00 a.m. when the detectives and coroner showed up to my doorstep,” Yeager said.
During an encounter with police, Whitney says Sam fired his gun in the officers' direction, and officers shot and killed him.
“I hold my son accountable for his actions. I know they were doing what they were trained to do.”
She now shares his story to raise awareness about the potential risks of high-potency marijuana and psychosis.
“My son’s death has informed my life,” Whitney said. “He loved family, he loved his dogs, he had a terrific smile.”
Sam was 23 and one semester away from graduating from college with a degree in political science.
Yeager says Sam had a 9-day stay in a rehab facility in 2020, where he was diagnosed with CIP.
CIP is a condition that can include delusions, paranoia, and cognitive impairment.
Yeager says Sam first tried marijuana in middle school, and later became addicted in college.
“In his sophomore year in college, we started to notice changes in his behavior,” she said.
She adds, “At the end, right before he passed, his class notes were illegible, like his cognitive impairment, his handwriting it was just gibberish, you couldn’t even understand what he was writing, the psychosis had really hijacked his brain.”
Colorado psychiatrist Dr. Libby Stuyt, a national expert on high-THC concentrates, said marijuana today is far stronger than in previous decades.
“With the really high-potency THC, we’re seeing the exact opposite; people are having a horrible time quitting because it is so addicting,” Stuyt said.
“When people are vaping or dabbing, it can be 60, 70, even over 90 percent THC.”
Whitney now works with the nonprofit ‘One Chance to Grow Up’ as their education and outreach coordinator.
Her focus is on educating parents and trusted adults in El Paso and Teller counties about the dangers of high-potency marijuana.
The campaign is funded by the Pikes Peak Region 16 Opioid Abatement Council, which covers El Paso and Teller counties.
The campaign also includes 18 billboards across El Paso County, along with outreach at schools, Rotary clubs, and local events to help parents and trusted adults start conversations about high-potency THC.
“I feel I have to be strong to warn other parents,” Whitney said. “No other family ever has to go through what we went through.”
Near the end of his life, Sam began journaling about the impact marijuana had on his brain. In his final entry, he wrote:
“What would I be like if I didn’t smoke pot in 8th [grade?].”
Whitney hopes sharing Sam’s story will help families start these conversations earlier.
“I wish I started sooner,” she said.
“Parents need to begin these conversations earlier than we thought.”
Dr. Stuyt said the campaign highlights risks that are especially serious for developing brains, which are not fully mature until around age 25. High-potency THC can lead to psychosis, anxiety, depression, addiction, and may increase the risk of opioid misuse later in life.
Parents and trusted adults can access the campaign’s resources at (http://highriskthc.org) to help educate and protect young people.
A feature on the I-25 noise wall that you can only notice when it snows
Is the mountain design on the I-25 south wall intentional? It comes out a bit, so when snow falls, it tends to pile up and look like a snowcap.
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