GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A metro Atlanta father is calling for restrictions on the sale of unregulated THC vape products after his teenage son died of a fentanyl overdose.
“He was the kind of kid who just had a beautiful heart. Never meet a stranger. Always eager to help people.” said Tommy Habeeb.
Habeeb, who lives in Hoschton in Jackson County, says his son Thomas had a substance abuse problem in high school but got clean. He graduated and enrolled in North Georgia College to major in finance. At college, he began heavily using vapes, including THC vapes.
While he was home from college in July of last year, his mother went into his room.
“She went to wake him up. He had passed. The autopsy report came back and there was fentanyl.” Habeeb said.
The father said his son had been terrified of fentanyl after losing friends to the drug. He is convinced his son unknowingly consumed fentanyl that has been laced into a THC vape.
“He obviously wasn’t 21, so he got them by either going into a convenience store and getting them underage or getting them off the streets. I wanted to open an investigation in Jackson County. The investigator was in complete agreement but the problem he said, it’s like a needle in a haystack. It’s an epidemic out there.” said Habib.
The head of a drug treatment center for adolescents in Dahlonega, says 85 percent of those they help come in hooked on high potency THC vapes.
“We have seen some of these vape contain 90 precent THC oil or higher. We have kids who come who have tested positive for fentanyl. And kids swear ‘I don’t do fentanyl I only do THC vapes’” said Brian Buffington, Eagle Overlook Recovery for Adolescents CEO.
Buffington says many teens addicted to high potency THC vapes can experience personality changing psychotic breakdowns requiring long term hospitalization. He says the unregulated products sold in stores are often marketed to appeal to young people.
“You don’t know where it was made. You don’t know what substances are in it. You have a package that is marketed like a breakfast cereal, and it’s like ‘sounds good to me’” said Buffington.
Buffington likened the exploding use of THC vapes by teens to the crack-cocaine epidemic of the 1980’s.
“And the sad part about comparing it to crack-cocaine, currently you can go into a convenience store and buy it. It needs to be completely regulated or completely outlawed. It is destroying our youth.” said Buffington.
Tommy Habeeb says his son loved lacrosse, and they went on numerous diving trips together. He says he wants to speak out to spare other parents the grief of losing a child to a drug overdose involving vaping products.
“The pain is unique; this type of pain is unexplainable. If I can prevent one parent from feeling this pain, it would be a success for me. The message I would like to send to parents is stronger awareness, and also be a voice to your representatives about regulations.” said Habeeb.
He has set up a health and wellness charitable endowment in memory of his son. Support The Thomas Habeeb IV Wellness and Health Memorial Endowment here.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2026 Cox Media Group
