{"id":116654,"date":"2025-08-03T22:20:10","date_gmt":"2025-08-03T22:20:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/116654\/"},"modified":"2025-08-03T22:20:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-03T22:20:10","slug":"nyc-rehab-centers-overwhelmed-as-legal-weed-fuels-higher-wave-of-addiction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/116654\/","title":{"rendered":"NYC rehab centers overwhelmed as legal weed fuels higher wave of addiction"},"content":{"rendered":"

Operators of a city drug-treatment program say they are seeing more patients addicted to marijuana since New York legalized the sale <\/a>of weed for adult recreational use.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s one of the stupidest things our society has done \u2014 they legalized cannabis during the opioid crisis,\u201d said Luke Nasta, president and CEO<\/a> of Camelot Counseling of Staten Island, to the Post.<\/p>\n

Camelot said 20% of its patients are addicted potheads, with an increase of clients with marijuana-related abuse at its outpatient clinics since before the state legalized it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s one of the stupidest things our society has done \u2014 they legalized cannabis during the opioid crisis,\u201d said Luke Nasta. Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/p>\n

The Post interviewed three of Camelot\u2019s patients who are hooked on weed \u2014 and who warned about the nightmare they\u2019re living with, given the increased availability of cannabis.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know it sounds cliche. It\u2019s hard. But, \u2018Just say no,\u2019 \u201d said Dillet Delancey, a 23-year-old Cypress Hills, Brooklyn, resident in residential rehab treatment at Camelot.<\/p>\n

Delancey, who has smoked pot since he was 11 and been in treatment for four months, said the \u201cnegatives outweigh the positives\u201d of legalizing cannabis.<\/p>\n

\u201cWeed is the new cigarette. But it\u2019s considered more fun because you can get high,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a gateway drug. Eventually it won\u2019t get you high any more, and you\u2019re going to look for something greater. It tears families apart. I can testify to that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaquan Shannon, 19, said he\u2019s been smoking weed since he was 12.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know it sounds cliche. It\u2019s hard. But, \u2018Just say no,\u2019 \u201d said Dillet Delancey, a 23-year-old Cypress Hills, Brooklyn, resident. Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/p>\n

\u201cIt made me feel invincible,\u201d Shannon said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the midst of brushing my teeth, I would have a blunt, ready to spark it, ready to smoke it. I would smoke when I woke up. I wouldn\u2019t eat all day without smoking,\u201d said Shannon, a Staten Island resident who has been in treatment more than a month.<\/p>\n

He said he would get so stoned on doobies that \u201cI forgot who I was.\u201d<\/p>\n

Every morning, the NY POSTcast <\/a>offers a deep dive into the headlines with the Post\u2019s signature mix of politics, business, pop culture, true crime and everything in between. Subscribe here!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Chance Buckner, 20, said he\u2019s in rehab as an alternative to spending time in jail for actions tied to his drug abuse.<\/p>\n

He eventually mixed his pot with opioids and other drugs \u201cto chase the higher high\u201d and initially used weed as a coping mechanism.<\/p>\n

\u201cI became disconnected from myself and reality. I became a person who seeks chaos,\u201d said Buckner of Flatbush, Brooklyn.<\/p>\n

Chance Buckner, Jaquan Shannon, and Delancy are participating in a program for marijuana addiction at Camelot Counseling. Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/p>\n

\u201cI became numb. It was a long dark road. \u2026 I started to lose my mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

All three noted that pot is now more accessible than ever, including even the most potent cannabis, with it coming from licensed and unlicensed stores including local delis and not just from street dealers anymore.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see a lot of things happening I\u2019ve never seen before. The local stores are selling marijuana,\u201d Shannon said.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s more flavored cannabis that attracts young people, and the weed that is accessible is \u201cway more potent\u201d than what was the most readily available before, he said.<\/p>\n

Shaquan Shannon, 19, said he\u2019s been smoking weed since he was 12. Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/p>\n

Legalization has de-stigmatized weed in society\u2019s eyes \u2014 seemingly giving the green light for youths to fire up the blunts, too, the addicts said.<\/p>\n

There are now 444 licensed cannabis stores in the state, nearly half in the city\u2019s five boroughs.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to hide it anymore,\u201d Shannon said.<\/p>\n

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Buckner called the legalization of the sale of cannabis a \u201cdouble edge sword.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt clouds the brain,\u201d he said of pot.<\/p>\n

Delancey said he consumed marijuana at 14 to deal with personality disorder and later mixed it with ecstasy. Meanwhile, his mom grappled with drug addiction.<\/p>\n

He has been in rehab three previous times.<\/p>\n

There are now 444 licensed cannabis stores in the state, nearly half in the city\u2019s five boroughs. Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very hard to stop once you start. Now, we have easy access to it. There\u2019s a dispensary on every corner in New York. You\u2019ve got delis cashing food stamps [for cannabis],\u201d Delancey said.<\/p>\n

He said he sees more pot addicts in the city post-legalization.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe peer pressure is thick out there\u201d to use, Delancey said.<\/p>\n

A new federal study shows there are 11 million more<\/a> cannabis users in the US than just a few years ago, after 24 states including New York legalized cannabis for recreational use and 40 states for medicinal use.<\/p>\n

The percentage of Americans age 12 and older doing ganja increased from 19% of the population, or 53.2 million, in 2021 to 22.3%, or to 64.2 million, in 2024, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.<\/p>\n

The percentage of US residents age 26 or older consuming weed increased from 17.3% or 38.2 million people in 2021 to 21.7% or 49.3 million in 2024.<\/p>\n

Nearly a quarter of New York City adults age 21 and older consumed cannabis in 2023, second only to alcohol, according to a study included in the city Health Department\u2019s \u201cThe State of Mental Health<\/a> of New Yorkers\u201d report.<\/p>\n

The same report said 15% of city public high-school students used marijuana that year.<\/p>\n

Proponents\u2019 push to legalize marijuana \u201cdownplayed the risk\u201d, said Tamara Levin, Camelot\u2019s clinical director on Staten Island.<\/p>\n

A new federal study shows there are 11 million more cannabis users in the US than just a few years ago. Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/p>\n

\u201cMarijuana is addictive. It causes a lot of issues,\u201d Levin said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe perception is that because it\u2019s legal, it\u2019s Ok. But for some people, it destroys their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

The impact of cannabis on young people\u2019s brain is among the reasons the Medical Society of New York <\/a>opposed legalization.<\/p>\n

The city\u2019s district attorneys, now on the sidelines in terms of prosecution since marijuana has been legalized, are now monitoring abuse.<\/p>\n

\u201cMarijuana, like any drug, legal or illegal, has the potential to be used and abused to deleterious effects\u201d Staten Island DA Michael McMahon said in a statement. <\/p>\n

\u201cAs co-chairman of the Staten Island Fentanyl & Overdose Task Force, I know that addiction illness comes in many forms and I strongly believe that now is the time for the government to increase not decrease funding for our borough\u2019s treatment providers.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Operators of a city drug-treatment program say they are seeing more patients addicted to marijuana since New York…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":116655,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5122],"tags":[5229,5297,1749,5371,3272,3344,46601,5248,405,403,5226,5225,5228,5227,67,586,132,5230,68,1154,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-116654","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-andrew-cuomo","10":"tag-cannabis","11":"tag-kathy-hochul","12":"tag-legislature","13":"tag-marijuana","14":"tag-marijuana-legalization","15":"tag-metro","16":"tag-new-york","17":"tag-new-york-city","18":"tag-newyork","19":"tag-newyorkcity","20":"tag-ny","21":"tag-nyc","22":"tag-united-states","23":"tag-united-states-of-america","24":"tag-unitedstates","25":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","26":"tag-us","27":"tag-us-news","28":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114967165318407402","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116654","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116654"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116654\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/116655"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116654"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116654"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116654"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}