What is actually going on here?

Hey Kaya, did you ever figure this out? I have an outdoor auto in soil that looks like your first two photos. The plant otherwise seems healthy. i figured it was a deficiency of some sort and would get better as I fed it but it hasn't gotten better. None of my other plants show this spotting on the leaves. I hope you were able to overcome your issues and that your moms are okay.

Yep, I'm experiencing almost the same. And also I'm convinced it is not bugs but a disease.

Maybe buying a "Marijuana Diseases and how to treat 'em" ebook, or a book or in whatever form as long as it has lots of pictures to compare from, is the approach I'd take.

If it is a disease, as we stated, the acting way is pretty simple: diagnose > treat

You can use book, internet or ask a botany student or doctor...I'd go to my nearest botany camp and start asking around for botany students hanging around 'till I can show one the leave I have inside a book with me.

I wish your moms well,
GL BRO!

Wow that's one of the worst cases of thrips I've ever seen. I've always thought of thrips as a minor pest, controllable, while mites are the really bad one. In your case it looks like it got out of control.

With a bad infestation you can't spray once and get rid of them. Thrips are one of the hardest pests to get rid of. You have to spray every week for several weeks in a row at least. If the Spinosad doesn't kill the eggs they're right back it down a few days later. Research the thrip life cycle, egg to adult, and plan your extermination around it.

I think you realize you've got other issues besides the thrips. I've never seen thrips get out of hand like this without having weakened plants to prey on. Growing in the summer time is difficult, all the little problems get much worse. The thrips multiplying out of control is no doubt caused by overheating. What's your air circulation like? When you enter your room is it like a sauna, you end up dripping with sweat and take your shirt off 5 minutes later? Plants hate those kind of conditions, they like much lower humidity. Maybe a bigger fan or multiple fans? Leave the grow room door open during the warmest parts fo the day.

Get a water sprayer, spray several times a day. Whenever you look at your plants mist them down. The close up of your plants looks like some sort of residue, don't know if it's nuked thrip eggs, living thrip eggs, left over bug spray, spray that stuff off of 'em. Your plants will thank you if nothing else a plant in Veg loves getting misted.

Look for other small problems, rootbound plants, over or underwatering, the stuff you used to pay a lot of attention to when you started growing. We get into routines and don't pay as close of attention to details. Spend more time in your room looking at your plants. A lot of times when plants get neglected it's because you're busy and not spending enough time on them. Especially when they're sick and chewed up by bugs.

If it's thrips, I've had great results indoor with 2 rounds of spinosad, sprayed 5 days apart.

Mites I use yucca extract and 1oz of isopropyl to a gallon of water, protect the roots, and thoroughly spray every 3 days for 15 days. Gone, no leftovers, no oils, no 'flavors', no chemicals to linger.