Dear House of Representatives Public Health Committee, 8/14/2025, updated 8/15/2025
Thank you for your time and attention during the committee hearing on HB 5. Several families, including mine, shared our experiences with the committee regarding the harm THC has caused our loved ones. However, we are deeply concerned by the misrepresentation made by pro-THC advocates who publicly belittled and slandered our families and failed to address the scientific facts about the risks of THC use. I understand that it is common for individuals who cannot argue with facts to resort to personal attacks.
As a family that has already paid the emotional and financial costs resulting from THC legalization and normalization, I want to provide the following information to clarify some misinformation.
First, it is essential to understand that there are three different types of drug policies:
- **Drug Prevention Policies**: These policies discourage drug use and reduce associated harms through education and consequences. They help decrease government spending while protecting the health and safety of individuals and communities.
- **Drug Promotion Policies**: These policies allow the industry to profit from the commercialization and normalization of drugs, leading to increased use and harm. An example of a drug promotion policy is legalization, which expands government involvement with regulations.
- **Drug Recovery Policies**: These policies provide funding for resources that assist individuals in recovering from drug use. As a state or country legalizes more drug use, lawmakers will need to expand government efforts to address the resulting harms from policies that promote drug use.
While legislators had good intentions in legalizing hemp for agricultural purposes, as you know, this created a significant loophole that has paved the way for the legalization and normalization of marijuana (THC), a drug-promoting policy.
I want to address some key concerns raised by the committee with the latest research.
*High-potency marijuana (THC) is defined as any product that contains 10 mg of THC or has a THC concentration of 10% or higher. https://cannabis.colorado.gov/responsible-use/safety-with-edibles
*Even as little as 2 to 3 mg of THC can be intoxicating.
*Additionally, a dose of 10 mg of THC can lead to psychotic symptoms in adults.
*THC is a lipophilic, a fat-soluble compound that accumulates in the body, particularly in the brain. For instance, if a person consumes 3 mg of THC daily, it can build up in their system over time, increasing the risks of addiction and psychosis. This accumulation is one of the primary reasons why THC cannot be safely regulated or controlled, nor can we predict who may become psychotic after usage.
*What we do know is that the higher the potency of THC, the more frequent the use, and the younger the brain, the greater the risk. No amount of THC is safe for people under 25 years old to use, and there is no proof that THC is safe for adults to use.
For example, Bryn Spejcher, at the age of 28 years old, experienced a severe acute episode of cannabis-induced psychosis resulting in violent behaviors and death. Bryn stabbed her friend, Chad O’Melia, over a hundred times, ending his life, and stabbed her dog. Bryn was stabbing herself when the police arrived at the scene. They tased her 4 times, but were unable to stop her from harming herself. So they hit her with a baton 9 times, breaking bones, to successfully get Bryn to drop the knife. Bryn, at this point, had stabbed herself over 40 times.
The prosecution and defense experts all concluded that Bryn had CIP, cannabis-induced psychosis. She was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and is under a court order to provide 100 community public education hours about cannabis-induced psychosis. Bryn’s probation officers approved me to supervise these public service hours.
*While some people advocate for personal freedom to use THC, scientific evidence proves that THC is the primary environmental factor in the development of schizophrenia, a state of suffering and disability. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-do-you-get-schizophrenia#environmental-triggers
*It is also concerning to hear Governor Abbott state that he wants to regulate THC like alcohol. It is essential to note that a shot of alcohol does not cause psychosis, like a swallow or a hit of THC can. Alcohol is a water-soluble drug, so people experiencing harmful effects usually recover within a few hours; however, THC is a fat-soluble drug. The detrimental effects, like psychosis and cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, can be long-lasting.
The Canadian Medical Association Journal. People with cannabis-induced psychosis are at a 241.6-fold higher risk of developing schizophrenia.
A study published in Psychological Medicine, which analyzed comprehensive health records spanning five decades and involving more than six million people in Denmark (where low-potency cannabis is available), estimated that as many as 30% of schizophrenia cases among men aged 21-30 might have been prevented by avoiding cannabis use disorder.
Another study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry looked at 6,788 patients diagnosed with a drug-induced psychosis from the Danish Civil Registration System and the Psychiatric Central Research Register over 20 years. They found that the patients with cannabis-induced psychosis had the highest conversion rate of 47% to schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. This was more than any other drug, including methamphetamine.
The currently available research on cannabis causing chronic psychotic disorders satisfies the Bradford Hill elements of causation. This means that some people who develop a chronic psychotic disorder after using cannabis, would not have developed the disorder had they not used cannabis. Even if a certain amount of residual confounding remains, for example, unquantified variations in other environmental risks or in genetic background, it is not enough to undermine the effect of cannabis as an independent risk factor.
The public is unaware of marijuana related deaths. What’s most alarming about this push to legalize THC in Texas is that marijuana-related deaths are not effectively tracked, and most coroners do not test for THC in suicides and perpetrators who commit homicides, except in cases of child deaths due to abuse and neglect. The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services’ 2023 report confirms that marijuana (THC) was the most commonly identified substance among perpetrators in those child deaths (2023 DFPS Fatality Report, p. 21). For example, 27-year-old Blair Ness of Lewisville, Texas, stabbed his 16-month-old son, Ashton, to death after using marijuana.
Governor Abbott may have been misinformed about the effectiveness of regulating THC for adults in preventing youth access. History demonstrates that, despite being highly regulated, alcohol and tobacco are still among the most accessible and widely used substances by young people. This evidence has been proven by Dr. Matthew Rossheim, a public health researcher in his paper, Hazardous and Illicit Products in Texas Retail Surveillance of the Largest “Hemp” Retail Chains Selling Flower, Vapes and Edibles in the State of Texas Houston, TX – April 2025
I also want to address the misinformation about black-market marijuana.
This isn’t the 1920s of alcohol prohibition. This is the modern age of mass communication and transportation. Legalizing marijuana invites international criminal organizations into our neighborhoods.
I have lived this. I’ve watched the black market expand in Colorado after marijuana legalization. I had two illegal grow houses within a block of my home. Three blocks away, a man named Brad Fowler was murdered over a marijuana transaction involving a home grow.
I was featured standing on a property where a Cuban national had an illegal marijuana grow in a documentary called Chronic State.
The latest report from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration indicates that the legalization of marijuana in some states has inadvertently strengthened drug cartels and fueled the black market across the nation. According to their 2025 report, “Despite these measures, over the past two decades, the black market for marijuana has expanded significantly, with Chinese and other Asian transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) taking control of the marijuana trade. These organized crime groups, along with Mexican cartels, are profiting from both illegal cultivation and sales, as well as exploiting the ‘legal’ market.”
Although Abbott argues that it is federally illegal to ban hemp-derived THC, other states, such as Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, California, and Colorado, have successfully implemented such bans. It appears he wants to legalize THC drinks, which shifts profits more to the alcohol industry and does not successfully stop the harms of THC. Abbott’s support of the legalization of marijuana also aligns with the Drug Policy Alliance, a well-funded liberal organization that advocates for the legalization of ALL drugs.
We would rather see a full THC ban passed and be tied up in the courts for a few years than repeat this legislative process in two years, which would result in more families being harmed and more trauma from sharing our stories repeatedly.
Governor Abbott has not met directly with our families; however, we did meet with his staff. We have informed his staff that we will continue to advocate for a full ban. We are working with the Cannabis Injury Litigation Group and will file lawsuits against the state of Texas if necessary.
A Better Path Forward
- Ban THC now. Decreasing accessibility will decrease harms.
- Fund robust, comprehensive education campaigns with public service announcements about the risks of THC use.
- Pass policies that test for THC in suicides, car crashes, and perpetrators who commit homicides.
- Establish resources for families affected by THC.
- Pass drug prevention policies that do not allow more drugs to be legalized in the state of Texas.
I ask that you stand strong and only support a full THC ban. We know cannabis legalization has led to significant health consequences, particularly to EDs and hospitals in Colorado. The most concerning include psychosis, suicide, and other substance abuse.
The only fiscally responsible way forward is a full ban on THC; otherwise, Texas will need to exponentially expand its government and use taxpayers’ money to manage an industry that has already proven problematic, with dangerous products and predatory marketing tactics.
The only safe way forward to protect public health and safety is a full THC ban; otherwise, Texas legislators will have to explain to more people why they ignored the growing evidence that THC is a significant factor in our addiction, mental illness, violence, and the homelessness crisis.
Thank you,
Aubree Adams, Director of Citizens for a Safe and Healthy Texas