FULL TWO HOURS

HOUR 1

HOUR 2

Heidi Anderson-Swan
Heidi is proud to have appeared on the 2022-3 season of Dr. Phil in an episode about Marijuana Legalization. She’s been interviewed by NBC-LA and Fox.com discussing her work to educate the public about the mental health harms of marijuana. Heidi believes it is crucial the public understand the link between THC and mental illness. She is especially passionate about today’s highly concentrated THC and its impact on our homeless crisis. She describes how the normalization of this psychoactive substance follows a similar trajectory to the rise in homelessness, especially in legalized states like Washington, California, Oregon and Colorado.

This touches Heidi deeply because her brother, Kirk, was a homeless drug addict with schizophrenia. Heidi candidly shares that she and her brother each experienced Cannabis Induced Psychosis. When she describes their very personal stories, she also weaves in the latest research. This makes for compellingly personal, and scientifically supported, interviews and presentations.

To teach youth about the short and long-term harms of THC, Heidi and Kirk co-authored A Night In Jail: the first fictional story illustrating the negative mental health consequences of youth marijuana use. It is inspired by Kirk’s true life. This gritty story is a novella, audiobook, film and play.

Much of 2022 was devoted to volunteering with California’s SB 1097, a bill to add mental health to warning labels on THC products. This bill was pulled due to pressure from the industry. Colorado is the only state to provide mental and physical warnings with the purchase of THC concentrates.

Also in 2022, Heidi helped lead a resistance in her own community, Hermosa Beach, against a measure to legalize pot shops. She was honored to be appointed to her city’s Cannabis Advisory Group to make recommendations to the City Council.

Heidi's work has brought her to Washington D.C. to speak with Drug Advisors to Senator Dianne Feinstein and then-Senator Kamala Harris.

She’s been an instructor for Continuing Education for lawyers and fiduciaries and has been the keynote speaker for Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Providers of New York State. She’s presented for numerous mental health, youth and prevention groups including Smart Approaches to Marijuana, Johnny’s Ambassadors and will be presenting for a 3rd year in a row at Stanford’s Teaching Cannabis Awareness and Prevention Conference.

​Heidi is on the Advisory Committee for Johnny’s Ambassadors and Advisory Committee at Every Brain Matters.
​www.anightinjail.com
 

A NIGHT IN JAIL: A story about drugs and mental illness, inspired by true events Paperback – October 18, 2017
by H.A. Swan (Author), K. Anderson (Author)

Inspired by true events. Busted for smoking pot, suburbanite college-bound Danny is incredulous when forced to spend the night in jail. He’s repulsed by his cellmate, a homeless and mentally ill drug addict who keeps him awake all night with his delusional rants. By morning Danny’s world is completely upended. A Night In Jail is a grim page-turner with a staggering ending.

Cathy Grindstaff
Cathy and her family have lived in Redding, CA since 1987. Their children attended local schools. Both she and her husband of 48 years were business owners and very involved in their children's sports and activities. After losing their son to a drunk driver, Cathy has focused her career on drug prevention and education both for students and adults.

Cathy has turned her extensive desire to educate students as well as adults on the multiple dangers of marijuana. Both the illegal market and holding our leaders accountable for the legal market in our communities.

We all must push our leaders and others to look beyond the promised dollars and smoke screen of marijuana. We must be a voice for our youth to provide them with the opportunities to live drug free.

Amy Holley
Amy helped put together a grass roots group that informed and educated her community about what the approval of commercial marijuana outlets would unleash in her community. The voters in 2022 returned a 64 percent NO vote. Amy credits dozens of dedicated individuals she worked with in this successful effort to take their community back.

Resources for you!!

NoPotShops.com
​Top 10 Things a Community Should Consider
1.Marijuana impaired drivers are more likely to kill pedestrians and bicyclists than alcohol-impaired drivers.
Since 2015, drugged driving in the US surpassed drunk driving as the cause of fatalities in motor vehicle crashes. The #1 drug in those crashes is marijuana.
Let’s not allow any children to be killed in the South Bay or elsewhere with pot purchased in the South Bay.
See the data>>
2. Increased crime in neighborhoods
A 2019 study conducted in Denver found that the existence of both recreational and medical marijuana dispensaries in Denver neighborhoods are significantly and positively associated with increased crime.
Don’t invite more crime to the South Bay or elsewhere.
See the data>>
3. South Bay Kids already use more marijuana than the rest of CA. This will get worse
Eight years after Colorado voters agreed to regulate marijuana similar to alcohol, the state faces numerous concerning measures of use
See the data>>
4. Increased number of people experiencing homelessness
Hermosa Beach's unsheltered population has doubled in recent years. Watch this short video (from another community) describing how some people wound up living on their streets: "10% said they came for access to legal marijuana."
See the data>>
5. Dangerous loophole allows 18 year- olds to easily get a medical card online.
Learn how an 18-year-old can legally purchase 480 joints at one time. They then can illegally sell the excess to others, including to younger kids. These products are sometimes indistinguishable from regular candy or other treats designed to attract kids.
See the data>>
6. Increase number of ER visits and hospitalizations due to cannabis
"When I started my career in medicine in the 1990's, I never treated marijuana poisoning. Today I treat marijuana poisoning in the emergency department in every shift." -Dr. Roneet Lev Former Chief Medical Officer, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy Emergency/Addiction Physician
See the data>>
7. The South Bay should stay with the 68% of California that’s banned pot sales
There are several reasons most California jurisdictions choose not to sell it. Read this recent article describing the very difficult situation California is in. Understanding how the illicit market growing, are there any valid reasons for Hermosa to overturn its ban? Shouldn't safety be our first priority?
See the data>>
8. It’s hypocritical to say we care about health, including cancer prevention and teen mental health, while promoting cannabis use
“…the marijuana habit preceded psychosis in the majority of marijuana users who developed it." -Dr. Christine Miller, long-time schizophrenia researcher. [Using marijuana is like] “taking a weed whacker to your chromosomes”- Dr. Stuart Reese
See the data>>
9. The promised windfall of marijuana Taxes never reaches what's promised and the marijuana black market continues to thrive despite legalization.
Marijuana tax revenues will not cover social costs of commercialization nor cure budget shortfalls. Marijuana commercialization will not stop the black market, only effective enforcement does.
See the data>>
10. The ultra-high potency of today’s cannabis changes everything
​Marijuana dabs and vaping oils commonly contain upwards of 80-99% THC, the main psychoactive chemical found in marijuana. Thousands of studies have shown the use of THC in young people is linked to many harms to mental health.
See the data>>