The risk of psychosis for teens using cannabis has become increasingly clear to researchers in Canada and abroad in recent years—and it’s tragically clear to Troy and Tara Neufeld of Westport, Ontario.
Their daughter, Mila, died by suicide in 2021 at the age of 18. What drove her to that point became evident little by little in the following weeks as the Neufelds spoke to Mila’s friends and read through her diary.
“She was talking about ants crawling on her hair,” Tara Neufeld told The Epoch Times, recalling one of her daughter’s last journal entries and her descent into psychosis. “She called one of her friends in absolute abject terror because she said she was hiding in the closet and there were little girls outside with knives that were trying to get into the closet.”
Neufeld hopes people will become more aware of the risks so other young people, and their families, won’t suffer like her family has.
‘Not Just a Plant Anymore’
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Vaping pens sold by government-approved retailers in Ontario often have a concentration of 80–100 percent THC.
Mila’s diary detailed her first use of a cannabis vaping pen several months before her death. She rapidly became dependent on vape pens and struggled to control her use.
“It’s a laboratory product,” Neufeld said. “This is literally a pharmaceutical. It’s not just a plant anymore. It’s kind of like saying Aspirin is white willow bark.” She also compared it to a bottle of vodka versus moonshine. “You can’t go to the LCBO and buy moonshine for a reason, right?”
The review said one of the “well known” risks of frequently using high-potency products is that there is substantial evidence of such use being associated with the development of schizophrenia or psychosis.
This may be well known to science, but it wasn’t well known to Neufeld, nor apparently to the adults—including a school counsellor—Mila reached out to for help. It wasn’t well known to Mila or her friends, who might otherwise have understood what was happening.
Tara Neufeld (L) with her daughter, Mila, at one of Mila’s hockey games.
Courtesy of Tara Neufeld
Mila, in her younger years, poses with her father, Troy Neufeld.
Courtesy of Tara Neufeld
Mila milks a cow on her family’s farm in Westport, Ontario.
Courtesy of Tara Neufeld
Mila Neufeld sets off on a canoe trip with her father, Troy Neufeld.
Courtesy of Tara Neufeld
Hooked on THC Vapes
Mila was the youngest of Neufeld’s three daughters, and the one Neufeld never worried about. “She was just so solid—incredibly solid, incredibly grounded,” Neufeld said.
Mila was a star athlete, honour roll kind of kid. The Neufeld family lives on a farm and Mila often spent time helping her father with work on the farm and caring for the animals.
She was a talented writer who was admitted to a creative arts program in high school. She wanted to be a writer and a midwife, among other aspirations.
She had great empathy, Neufeld said. She started playing hockey at a young age and would always stop to check that other kids were OK if they fell or got hurt on the ice.
“She was so tender and could never understand people being mean or cruel to someone,” she said.
When her friends started using THC vapes, she was initially irritated with them being high all the time, according to her diary. It was October 2020, when she was 17, that she wrote about her first time trying it herself.
Neufeld recalled the entry: “She said ‘I LOVE IT!!’ in big capital letters with exclamation marks. And then by December, just two months later, she’s writing about how she can’t sleep at night and she’s having to wake up and smoke these vaping pens.”
The pens have no odour, and Neufeld didn’t realize what was happening. “She was very, very good at hiding it,” she said.
“Both myself and my husband, we’re both very checked-in parents. We’re very close with our kids,” she said.
Her spouse, Troy, works as an emergency-medicine physician.
In February 2021, Mila was caught skipping school, which was out of character for her. This incident prompted a conversation with her parents, during which she admitted to trying cannabis. As a consequence, they restricted some of her privileges, such as not allowing her to drive the family’s truck for a period.
Shortly after, Mila unexpectedly announced that she was moving out, leaving her parents puzzled by her sudden behavior. Neufeld observed that Mila seemed unusually irritable and fatigued. Attempting to address these issues, she explored nutritional supplements to improve Mila’s sleep and mood. Neufeld attributed Mila’s behavior to the challenges she faced during the pandemic, including the suspension of her sports activities, limited social interactions, and uncertainties about university admission due to COVID vaccination requirements.
Mila eventually moved in with a friend and her father, as documented in her diary entries, which reflect her deteriorating mental state. She began experiencing sleepless nights, frequently consuming alcohol and vaping, and exhibiting signs of paranoia. Tragically, Mila took her own life shortly after visiting her family on Mother’s Day in May 2021.
Following Mila’s death, the police informed Neufeld and her husband of their daughter’s struggles. Mila’s diary, along with information from her friends, suggested that her cannabis use had contributed to the development of psychosis, ultimately leading to her tragic end. The coroner’s report confirmed that frequent, heavy use of high-potency THC cannabis had played a significant role in Mila’s mental health deterioration and subsequent demise.
Neufeld hopes that by sharing Mila’s story, other parents and teenagers will become more aware of the potential risks associated with high-potency cannabis products. She emphasizes the importance of understanding the individual’s unique biochemistry and the impact of such products on mental health. The loss of Mila has profoundly impacted their family, and Neufeld will continue to mourn her daughter for the rest of her life.
Please rewrite this for me.
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