Today’s marijuana is far more potent than the drug many parents remember from decades ago, and Dr. Raymond Wiggins says families need to understand the growing research linking high-potency THC and marijuana use to addiction, psychosis, adolescent brain development and cardiovascular risks. In his new book, The Blunt Truth: Ten Things Every Parent Needs to Know About Marijuana, Wiggins and former New Hampshire state representative Susan Homola examine the health risks of modern marijuana, rising THC potency, cannabis use among teenagers and what parents need to know to protect their children.

When Katy Christian Magazine first wrote about Dr. Raymond Wiggins in 2024, he had recently published Weeding Out the Myths About Marijuana, a medical examination of a drug he believed had developed a public reputation that did not match the scientific literature.

Two years later, Wiggins says there is considerably more to talk about.

Research into marijuana’s effects on the brain, mental health, cardiovascular system and even gene regulation has continued to develop. Marijuana products themselves have also changed, with THC concentrations far exceeding those common a generation ago. At the same time, parents are raising children in a culture where marijuana has become legal in many states and where THC products have been sold in forms ranging from vapes to candies and gummies.

Wiggins has now teamed up with former New Hampshire state representative Susan Homola for a second book, The Blunt Truth: Ten Things Every Parent Needs to Know About Marijuana, written specifically to help parents understand that landscape.

 

The book stitches together the duo’s complementary backgrounds to create a rounded and cutting-edge information resource for parents. Homola, a former state legislator and Air Force veteran who serves as a state chairman for Smart Approaches to Marijuana, has spent years working around marijuana legislation and public policy. Wiggins brings three decades of patient care and a medical career during which he has administered general anesthesia to more than 30,000 patients, including thousands who used marijuana, according to his professional biography.

Wiggins told Katy Christian Magazine that when Homola first approached him about writing another book, his initial reaction was that he did not have time. Her experience changed his mind. She had worked with families who described children and other loved ones developing addiction, psychosis and other serious problems while using marijuana. These accounts mirrored many events which Wiggins had encountered both medically and in his personal life, seeing close friends and relatives who suffered significant adverse consequences of this drug

The two experts leveraged their knowledge and experiences to create a book that combines medical research, public policy and accounts from families who say marijuana changed their lives.

An Inquiry That Formed in the Operating Room

Wiggins did not originally set out to become an author on marijuana. However, a repeated and odd occurrence caught his attention while he was practicing medicine.

He began noticing that some patients who used marijuana appeared to require substantially more medication to achieve adequate sedation. That raised questions. He began digging into the literature, initially trying to understand something he was observing in his own patients.

Research published since then has given weight to that observation. A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis of eight studies involving 2,268 patients found that cannabis users received significantly more propofol, an anesthetic commonly used for sedation and general anesthesia, than nonusers. A separate 2025 review likewise found an association between chronic cannabis use and higher propofol doses, while noting that researchers have not yet established exactly why the association occurs, but the literature proves that cannabis itself is the cause.

Wiggins’ original inquiry about anesthesia paved the way for a much larger question.

He had been exposed to the same messaging many Americans have heard: marijuana was relatively harmless. Once he began reviewing the research in depth, he said he no longer believed that characterization fit the evidence he was encountering or the problems he had witnessed among patients, friends and members of his own family.

That investigation ultimately produced Weeding Out the Myths About Marijuana, which Katy Christian Magazine reviewed in 2024.

Now, Wiggins says the scientific evidence revealing the lurking dangers of marijuana has continued to accumulate.

Marijuana Has Changed Over the Decades

Marijuana today is considerably more potent than it was decades ago. The concentration of THC, the primary intoxicating compound in marijuana, has risen sharply, while highly concentrated products such as oils, extracts and vape products have become widely available.

In 1995, marijuana samples analyzed through a federal monitoring program averaged about 4% THC. By 2018, that number had increased fourfold to approximately 16%, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The agency also reported that marijuana sold in dispensaries in some states had average THC concentrations ranging from about 17.7% to 23.2%.

More recent data cited by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found an average THC concentration of 22% among products available through online dispensaries in three states, with individual products reaching 45%. Concentrated products used for dabbing or vaping can expose users to substantially higher amounts of THC.

That change, Wiggins contends, is critical for parents to understand because their memories of occasional marijuana their own youth differ dramatically from the substance their child may encounter today.

Wiggins argues that assuming the substances are roughly the same can leave families unprepared for the potency of modern products and the sinister effects that can accompany them.

New Research on Marijuana’s Impacts in the Brain and on Mental Health

Wiggins also pointed to new research examining how marijuana may affect gene expression. Scientists are studying epigenetic changes associated with cannabis use, including changes in how certain genes are regulated and expressed.

A 2024 systematic review of cannabis and epigenetics identified changes involving multiple genes and biological pathways, including pathways related to neurodevelopment, addiction and psychiatric symptoms. The researchers also stressed that the science remains developing and that more consistent human studies are needed.

Wiggins said marijuana use can be especially concerning for adolescents and young adults because the brain is still developing. He pointed to research showing changes in areas of the brain involved in higher-level thinking, behavior and decision-making among young marijuana users. One large longitudinal study published in JAMA Psychiatry followed 799 adolescents over about five years and found that greater marijuana use was associated with accelerated thinning of the cortex, particularly in areas of the prefrontal cortex. The researchers also found a connection between some of those changes and greater attentional impulsiveness.

Wiggins said there is some reason for hope when young people stop using marijuana, although he cautioned that recovery may not always be complete. A recent systematic review of 26 studies found substantial neurocognitive recovery after marijuana cessation, particularly within the first year. Recovery varied depending on factors including age of first use and how heavily a person had used marijuana, with adolescent-onset users generally showing less complete recovery than those who began as adults.

For Wiggins, that makes early intervention particularly important.

Further, the risks of marijuana are not only something Wiggins has studied as a physician. He has also seen the consequences within his own family.

He told Katy Christian Magazines about a close relative who began using marijuana after going away to college. After using it for only the second time, Wiggins said, the young man experienced severe cannabis-induced psychosis and was admitted to a psychiatric hospital. His mental health did not fully recover, and he was ultimately unable to return to college.

Cannabis-induced psychosis does not inevitably lead to a permanent psychiatric disorder, but the risk of later illness is significant. A 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis involving 7,515 patients diagnosed with cannabis-induced psychosis found that approximately 20% were later diagnosed with a schizophrenia-spectrum disorder and about 5% with bipolar disorder. Another large study showed that almost half of those with cannabis-induced psychosis later developed schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. 

The relationship between marijuana and psychosis is also stronger among people who begin using at younger ages and those who use more frequently, according to the CDC’s guidance for teenagers and families.

Wiggins has seen the issue outside his own family as well. One of the family stories Wiggins has written about involves a woman who, according to the account shared with the authors, repeatedly developed severe psychotic symptoms when she used marijuana. Her behavior during those episodes included intense paranoia, threats and public disrobing. She would improve in treatment settings, Wiggins said, only to return to marijuana and experience another episode.

Stories like that are part of why Wiggins and Homola included family experiences alongside the medical research and statistics. They wanted parents to understand how marijuana-related problems can affect an entire family.

How Addictive Is Marijuana?

Another misconception Wiggins wants parents to reconsider is the idea that marijuana is not addictive.

The CDC estimates that approximately three in 10 people who use cannabis develop cannabis use disorder, a diagnosis that can include cravings, unsuccessful attempts to quit, continued use despite health or relationship problems and needing increasingly greater amounts to achieve the same effect.

The numbers among adolescents who are already using marijuana are particularly concerning.

Using data from the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the Drug Enforcement Administration reported in April that about 45.25% of past-year marijuana users ages 12 to 17 met criteria for cannabis use disorder. The agency calculated that rate using approximately 1.219 million adolescents with marijuana use disorder among roughly 2.694 million adolescents who reported past-year use.

That statistic does not mean 45% of all teenagers who experiment with marijuana will become addicted. It does show a high prevalence of cannabis use disorder among adolescents who report using the drug during the previous year.

Wiggins said these numbers matter because marijuana addiction is more common than many people realize, especially among young users. He also emphasized that dependence can be physical, not just psychological, which runs counter to the way marijuana has often been described.

The Consequences Are Not Limited to Brain Development and Mental Health

Wiggins also described losing another relative after a sudden cardiac event. He said the family member had been otherwise healthy and did not have other major vices that would readily explain what happened. After the relative experienced an arrhythmia followed by cardiac arrest, Wiggins said physicians attributed the event to his marijuana use.

Broader research has increasingly examined the relationship between marijuana and cardiovascular problems.

A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis involving more than 1.5 million people found cannabis use was associated with a 71% higher risk of atrial arrhythmias. A 2026 review in The American Journal of Medicine also described accumulating evidence linking marijuana use with acute myocardial infarction, particularly among younger adults without traditional cardiovascular risk factors.

Wiggins said the cardiovascular risks of marijuana are another part of the research that concerns him, particularly because he has seen those consequences within his own family. His concerns are consistent with guidance from the CDC, which says marijuana can immediately raise heart rate and blood pressure and may increase the risk of stroke, heart disease and other vascular problems. 

Texas Takes a Harder Stance on Delta-8

The publication of The Blunt Truth also comes during a major change in Texas’ treatment of some intoxicating hemp products.

For years, products containing cannabinoids such as delta-8 THC were openly sold in smoke shops, convenience stores and other retailers across Texas. Delta-8 occurs naturally only in very small amounts, so commercial products are commonly made by chemically converting hemp-derived CBD into delta-8 THC.

The legal landscape changed after the Texas Supreme Court ruled in May that the Texas Department of State Health Services had the authority to classify manufactured delta-8 THC as a controlled substance. DSHS reinstated the relevant definitions effective July 31, making delta-8 and several other THC isomers controlled substances under state law. Hemp-derived products containing legally compliant levels of delta-9 THC remain treated differently.

The change remains the subject of litigation. On Aug. 10, a federal judge declined to temporarily block the restrictions while a lawsuit brought by hemp businesses and consumers continues.

Wiggins supports efforts to remove intoxicating products such as delta-8 from easy access, especially when children and teenagers are involved.

His concerns are not limited to the fact that delta-8 is intoxicating. The FDA has warned that commercial delta-8 is often produced through chemical conversion and that manufacturing methods can create concerns about contaminants and inconsistent composition. From 2021 through 2023, the agency received more than 300 adverse-event reports involving children and adults who consumed delta-8 products. Nearly half involved an emergency room visit or hospitalization. Reported problems included hallucinations, vomiting, anxiety, dizziness, confusion and loss of consciousness.

Poison-center data have likewise documented tachycardia, agitation and other adverse effects following delta-8 exposure.

Edibles present another problem because the effects are delayed. Someone who does not immediately feel the effects may consume more, only to experience a much stronger dose later.

What Wiggins Advises Parents of Youth Who Might Be Using Marijuana to Do

For a parent who discovers that a teenager is already using marijuana, Wiggins’ first recommendation is education.

He encourages parents to learn what their children are using, understand modern THC products and become familiar with the health research before beginning the conversation. In his own medical practice, Wiggins said he has spoken with young marijuana users who had little idea that many of these risks existed. Some decided to stop after hearing information they had never encountered before.

That is ultimately the purpose behind The Blunt Truth. Wiggins and Homola are not writing for researchers. They are trying to take material scattered across medical journals, public-health agencies, family experiences and state policy debates and put it into a form parents can actually use.

For Christian parents, Wiggins adds another responsibility: pray for their children and intentionally lead them toward the Lord as they navigate decisions involving drugs, peers and culture.

He also wants parents to be prepared for one argument in particular, “Marijuana is a plant. It is natural. Therefore, it is safe.”

Wiggins points out that plenty of natural substances are dangerous, including poisonous plants, snake venom and other naturally occurring toxins. His point is simple: something being natural does not make it safe.

The public conversation around marijuana has changed rapidly. The drug itself has changed. The science surrounding it continues to develop, and policymakers are still trying to determine how newer THC products should be treated.

Wiggins believes parents cannot afford to base their decisions on what marijuana was assumed to be 20 or 30 years ago.

The Blunt Truth: Ten Things Every Parent Needs to Know About Marijuana by Susan Homola and Raymond Wiggins, MD, is available now. Readers can learn more about the book, its authors and ordering options through Dr. Wiggins’ official website.

Feature photo by Wesley Gibbs on Unsplash