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CRC calling attention to health concerns

T-L Photo/SETH STASKEY A PANEL consisting of Dr. Gregory Merrick, Alex Berenson and Ian Johnson answers questions from the audience during Thursday evening’s inaugural “More Than a Game ... The Untold Truth.” The event, which was held at Oglebay Park’s Glessner Auditorium, was held in conjunction with the annual Cancer Research Classic basketball tournament, which opens today at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling.

WHEELING — The Cancer Research Classic brings some of the best high school basketball teams in the United States to Wheeling each and every year.

The event, however, is so much more than just a basketball showcase.

Thursday night’s “More Than a Game … The Untold Truth” event held at Oglebay Park’s Glessner Auditorium brought attention to mental health and marijuana use for people young and old. The inaugural panel discussion featured a speakers that included CRC Director Dr. Gregory Merrick, New York Times best-selling author Alex Berenson and former professional basketball player turned author and mental health advocate Ian Johnson.

“This (event) may be the most important thing we’ve done,” Merrick said prior to the panel’s talk. “Helping our young people by promoting a healthy lifestyle is something we should do during every step in life to help kids out.”

The event attracted upwards of 450 people, including many of the teams that will be competing this weekend, as well as strong delegations from Wheeling Park High School, Wheeling Central Catholic High School, The Linsly School and both the men’s and women’s basketball teams at Bethany College.

Merrick didn’t commit to the event becoming annual, but he said he won’t slow down in his quest to continue to educate young people on areas deeper than basketball.

“I don’t know what it’s going to be, but this won’t be the last time that the CRC, Wheeling Hospital and Urologic Institute will address issues that we think are under-addressed and the public is not getting the true story,” he said.

Johnson recently released his first book, “The Bounce & The Echo … Dying to Love a Game,” which talks about dealing with mental health concerns and being able to overcome the issues that many young people deal with in a myriad of areas.

“There’s an idea out there that because you’re a student-athlete, it disqualifies you from mental illness,” Johnson said during his 25-minute speech. “That’s wrong. Actually, the rates of mental illness are significantly higher in athletes.”

Johnson, who attended the famed Oak Hill Academy in Virginia and then went on to play collegiately at Davidson, spoke about his own battle with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, which eventually caused him to be on the doorstep of suicide.

“Most of us weren’t taught to ask for help,” Johnson said. “Unfortunately, that’s not always part of the coaching game plan. My heart goes out to those here who are suffering in silence. I was one of you guys.”

An example of his OCD that Johnson spoke about was a belief that if he touched the half-court line on the floor during a game, he would seriously injure himself.

“Learning how to love and care for ourselves is very important,” Johnson said. “Experiencing life trauma is human, and having OCD is human. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, but we know how to address and treat it now.”

Berenson, meanwhile, is a widely known author and former investigative reporter at The New York Times. His most recent book, “Tell Your Children: The Truth About Marijuana, Illness and Violence” came to be through his wife, who is a psychiatrist in New York. The two were continually debating the effects of cannabis. His wife eventually convinced him to simply ride the scientific research that was published and it led to the book.

Many of Berenson’s speaking engagements have been aimed at the medical profession, but he was excited to get in front of a group of student-athletes.

“I think this (age group) is a great audience for this,” Berenson said. “These kids will be exposed to cannabis. They’re considered leaders in their schools, so people will be looking at them. They also probably have a pretty deep misunderstanding how dangerous cannabis and THC can be.”

Berenson told the audience that he actually tried cannabis, many years ago in college. He realizes that some states have legalized the drug and he’s not naive enough to believe that some young adults aren’t going to experiment like he did.

“The brain is still developing until you’re 25, so if you expose yourself to cannabis and THC, you’re more likely to have severe psychiatric problems in the years to come,” Berenson said. “There’s no medicinal value to cannabis. I am not encouraging anyone to use it, but if you’re going to use it, use it as a recreational toxic, similar to alcohol. Don’t pretend that it’s a medicine or that it’s good for you. It’s not. I think because of the messaging around it, people convince themselves that getting high is somehow a treatment for anxiety, depression or some other problem they have.”

Berenson also said that in every state that’s legalized marijuana, driving fatalities are “way up.”

The basketball portion of the CRC tips off at 11 a.m. today with Wheeling Park taking on Chapmanville at 11:30 a.m. There are six games on today’s card and seven more slated for Saturday, including Wheeling Central and Butler, Pennsylvania, in the opener at 10 a.m.

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