California cannabis giant Stiiizy has been accused again of marketing dangerous, high-potency THC products to young people, allegedly resulting in cannabis-induced psychosis in a user who brought a product liability and fraud suit in Los Angeles state court.
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The lawsuit was filed by an anonymous resident of Contra Costa County, California, who says that while he was a teenager in high school, Stiiizy used deceptive marketing to push high-THC vapes on him, the use of which resulted in manic and psychotic episodes and hospitalizations.
Attorneys representing the John Doe plaintiff, referred to as "KG," earlier this year brought a very similar lawsuit in Northern California state court against Stiiizy, alleging that the company's THC products have been deceptively marketed and can cause mental illness in young people.
Both lawsuits contain the allegation: "Instead of warning of the dangers posed by its high-potency cannabis and vapes, Stiiizy markets its products as medicine for anxiety and angst."
As recounted in both complaints, California in 2017 legalized the use and sale of cannabis for adults age 21 and older. In his Aug. 27 action, KG says he was 16 when he began using Stiiizy products, and that he experienced his first cannabis-induced psychosis some two years later.
While only naming Stiiizy and related entities as defendants, the complaint accuses the cannabis industry writ large of adopting marketing tactics that specifically target young people, while emphasizing marijuana's desired effects and obscuring its risks.
Specifically, the complaint says cannabis companies design vapes with "eye-catching colors and patterns," decorate retail storefronts with "pulsing lights, bass-heavy music, and eye-catching displays," and employ advertising that "features attractive young people engaged in cool social activities — from skateboarding to attending music festivals."
The complaint also cites data showing that cannabis' potency has risen in recent years as well as studies suggesting a correlation between cannabis use and adverse mental health outcomes.
"By presenting its products as solutions for stress and anxiety without adequately warning of the risks, Stiiizy has left teens like KG unaware of the potential mental health crises that can ensue," Sarah R. London of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein LLP, an attorney for KG, said in a statement.
"Stiiizy's ads and marketing materials are targeted at young people and the result of young brains being exposed to high THC concentrates can be devastating," London continued.
KG's lawsuit alleges that it was "in or around 2020, when he was 16 years old," that he was first exposed to Stiiizy advertisements that "promoted wellness and relaxation," and that he began "vaping consistently" during his junior year of high school, when his habit became a daily routine.
The complaint alleges that on April 20, 2022, "while on a high from vaping Stiiizy products," KG ran away from home, stole his father's truck and absconded to San Francisco, where he "took on the persona of a celebrity rapper" and tried to parlay his purported celebrity status into free merchandise at a number of high-end retailers.
The suit alleges that KG was eventually found by security or police officers at the San Francisco International Airport where he was sleeping in his father's truck, tested positive for THC and was placed in a three-day involuntary psychiatric detention.
"He was described as 'delusional' and 'confused' with mania and psychosis symptoms; however, at that time, he was not diagnosed with cannabis-induced psychosis," the complaint said. "It was not until December 2023 that plaintiff came to understand the relationship between his use of high-potency cannabis and his psychotic episodes."
The suit alleges that KG experienced a relapse in December of last year and "experienced a similar psychotic break in which he again believed he was a famous singer/rapper."
The suit alleges negligence, design defect, negligent failure to warn, fraud, fraudulent concealment and breach of implied warranty on the part of Stiiizy.
A Stiiizy company spokesperson said in a statement Friday, "As we said when these attorneys filed their previous lawsuit, we do not market or sell our products to minors and clearly state on our packaging that cannabis products may only be possessed or consumed by persons 21 or older."
The statement continued, "We also follow all California mandated packaging requirements that prohibit marketing to minors or any designs or images that may attract minors."
Stiiizy, which operates multiple cultivation, distribution and retail cannabis locations throughout California, was previously sued in Los Angeles state court over allegations that the company overstated the THC levels in its prerolled joints. The suit was filed in December 2022 and remains pending.
The company is also facing a proposed class action in Illinois federal court, filed in April, alleging that it sold products that were touted as federally compliant hemp but purportedly had high enough levels of psychoactive THC to qualify as marijuana products.
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