S2E14: Understanding Teen Substance Use: Vaping, Edibles, and Harm Reduction (with Dr. Stacy Marshall)S2E14: Understanding Teen Substance Use: Vaping, Edibles, and Harm Reduction (with Dr. Stacy Marshall)
APC Recovery Cafe
Nichole and Dr. Stacy Marshall talk through teen vaping, cannabis use, edibles and gas station drugs, and how these substances affect young people’s brains and behaviour. They outline practical harm reduction approaches, family‑centred care and prevention strategies for parents, carers and educators.
39:27•20 Aug 2026
Vapes, Edibles and Teens: A Realistic Look at Harm Reduction with Dr. Stacy Marshall
Episode Overview
- High‑potency vaping and cannabis products can rewire adolescent brains, leading to strong dependence that simple discipline or school punishments cannot fix.
- The Adolescent Substance Use Assessment Clinic offers low‑barrier assessments, behavioural support and medical treatments such as nicotine replacement therapy and buprenorphine.
- Gas station products, kava, kratom and other unlabeled compounds pose serious risks and are difficult to regulate, test for and track through standard toxicology systems.
- Cannabis use can trigger severe anxiety, paranoia and even psychotic symptoms in some young people, sometimes lasting days to weeks after the drug leaves the body.
- Effective prevention starts early with modelling healthy behaviour, clear language about medicines and substances, and realistic, harm‑reduction‑focused goals centred on progress rather than perfection.
“At the end of the day, you can't like force someone to change, right? Even in adolescence, it's more about meeting them where they're at. Progress, not always perfection.”
Marshall, an emergency medicine physician, medical toxicologist and adolescent addiction specialist, explains how teens end up hooked on nicotine, cannabis and other substances: “a lot of these kiddos are addicted to these drugs that are really strong… their brains have been rewired because of the powerful potency of the products that they're using.” You’ll hear how the Adolescent Substance Use Assessment Clinic at Children’s of Alabama works, why it’s set up as a low‑barrier, Monday‑morning service, and how it helps families figure out what level of care fits – from outpatient support and nicotine replacement therapy to higher‑intensity treatment.
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This conversation between Nichole and Dr. Stacy Marshall shines a light on what teen substance use actually looks like today, far beyond the old “just say no” slogans. The focus is firmly on vaping, edibles and so-called “gas station drugs”, and how these high‑potency products affect developing brains. Dr.
There’s a big emphasis on harm reduction and realistic goals: “we always recommend no use… a lot of times we're just talking about reducing someone's use… it's about progress, not perfection.” The episode also breaks down cannabis trends, accidental edible ingestions in toddlers, and the messy rise of hemp-derived products, kava, kratom and other unlabeled “gas station” compounds that make both parents and clinicians feel like they’re playing chemical whack‑a‑mole.
Parents, carers, teachers and youth workers get practical ideas on starting early conversations, modelling healthy behaviour, and handling their own expectations when a teen isn’t ready to quit. The tone stays honest, non‑judgmental and even lightly humorous, while never minimising risk. If you’ve ever wondered what to actually do when a young person keeps vaping or using edibles despite school punishments, this chat gives you a place to start and questions worth asking at home and in your community.
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