Pubdate: Sun, 29 Dec 2013
Source: Tribune, The (Greeley, CO)
Copyright: 2013 The Greeley Publishing Co.
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/2T4s2YlD
Website: http://www.greeleytribune.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3165
Note: Note: typically publishes LTEs from circulation area only
Author: Jason Pohl

GREELEY-EVANS SCHOOLS PREPARE FOR POTENTIAL SURGE IN MARIJUANA USE 
AMONG STUDENTS

Few topics ignite a more fiery and passionate debate among parents or 
policymakers than that of drug use among children. Especially now.

Throughout 2013, talking points surrounding Colorado's 
decriminalization of marijuana for adults 21 and older have made 
headlines and raised eyebrows across the country.

Among the most concerned groups were parents who feared greater pot 
use in the Greeley area made possible by recreation sales in Garden 
City or Denver would lead to increased availability and use among 
kids and in schools.

Largely, those concerns will play out next year but nobody knows 
exactly what will happen or what will change.

One thing is clear, though. More students than ever before view 
marijuana as harmless, potentially putting school enforcement 
policies and parenting practices to the test in 2014.

A study released this month from the National Institutes of Health 
found that 60 percent of 12th-grade students do not view marijuana as 
harmful - up from 56 percent last year.

The number of students who viewed pot as harmful has fallen 
consistently among 8th-, 10th- and 12th-graders during the past 
decade, the study found.

Plus, nearly 23 percent of high school seniors said they smoked 
marijuana in the month prior to the survey and 36 percent said they 
smoked during the past year.

As director of school safety and security for the Greeley-Evans 
School District 6, John Gates knows the numbers can be concerning.

It's his job to make sure drugs in schools don't proliferate in the 
wake of Colorado's new laws on marijuana. He specializes in dealing 
with, among other things, drugs and related incidents across the 25 
district-operated schools.

Included in that number are three traditional high schools and four 
middle schools, so Gates sees first-hand how the students actually behave.

So far, his findings might surprise you.

Through the first semester of the 2013-14 school year, Gates has not 
observed more cases of students using or possessing marijuana on 
school grounds, he said. Moving into 2014, when the novelty of pot 
increases across the state, he said the district will continue to use 
educational enforcement programs like it has in the past to send a 
clear message to kids that pot use or possession is never allowed on 
school grounds. Ever.

"If society sees it, we'll see it," Gates said, adding that it 
"stands to reason" it will be more accessible for minors as time goes 
on, even despite the best efforts of adults and the stringent 
regulatory framework placed on marijuana distributors. "The key is to 
have policies and procedures for when or if we do see it."

The district uses school resource officers and drug-sniffing canines 
in conjunction with the Greeley Police Department to send the clear 
message to kids that, while there may be a more relaxed approach to 
pot among adults, kids are still never allowed to have it on campus 
or come to class high.

Even students who are 18 years old cannot smoke pot because the law 
legalizing marijuana use applies only to people 21 or older.

If a student does get busted with weed in a locker or backpack, Gates 
said sanctions will vary - like they always have - and administrators 
will continue to take multiple factors into consideration before 
doling out a punishment.

A first-time offender will likely face suspension of a couple of days 
to a week or more, and expulsion punishments are reserved as 
"progressive discipline" for students who have violated the 
district's no-drugs-on-campus policy multiple times.

"Theoretically, we want to use that small quantity of marijuana as a 
learning experience," Gates said.

Greeley police Chief Jerry Garner was a staunch opponent to Amendment 
64. Like many in law enforcement, he said throughout the Amendment 64 
discussion in 2012 that if pot was decriminalized, it would make its 
way into schools and pose numerous problems. Since that law passed by 
a 55-45 percent majority, he said what he has observed within the 
community is a more relaxed approach to pot - including among kids 
who may not be well-versed in the law.

Both Gates and Garner agreed collaboration and a holistic approach in 
dealing with any potential surge in pot use among kids in school is paramount.

"For a lot of things, we're just going to have to wait and see," 
Garner said. "I don't have the answer. A lot of folks are 
pontificating - like me - but we just don't know. We really don't know."

Some Tribune readers through social media said they feared their own 
kids might be more prone to use drugs when they go into the 
classroom, but almost everyone agreed it comes down to parenting 
practices and setting good examples at home.

"Neither alcohol or pot are allowed in my home," said Tribune reader 
Sara Kitchens. "As for my children, I do not set the example that 
allows them to think drinking and getting stoned is acceptable. I am 
raising them with higher standards than that."

Raised in a family where drinking and smoking occurred, Ashley Angelo 
said her parents wouldn't do it in front of her or her sister while 
she was growing up. Likewise, she won't do it in front of her infant, 
but she will have a conversation over time and not keep a 
traditionally taboo subject in the shadows.

"We can't keep everything illegal because of our kids," she said, 
stressing parents can't pretend like it doesn't happen or try to keep 
them in a bubble.

After 25 years of service with the Greeley Police Department and a 
lifetime in the community, Gates said he knows marijuana has existed 
in some capacity within schools for decades.

His goal for 2014, however, is to make sure it doesn't get any more 
prevalent and to ensure students know the ins, outs and punishments 
that could result from getting involved with pot.

In some ways, he likened a potential surge to what happened after 
Amendment 20 passed, which opened the door for medical marijuana.

Schools saw a slight uptick in incidences where minors possessed a 
doctor's note and could have and consume marijuana for various reasons.

That bled over to schools and an educational campaign was launched 
that said, simply, "not on school time."

"I don't know what to expect," Gates said of what 2014 will be like 
for marijuana use in schools. "But I feel like we're prepared for 
whatever occurs."

*'

[sidebar]

Fast facts about marijuana in Greeley schools

Security officials say that through 2013, they have not noticed a 
significant rise in the number of marijuana-related incidents with 
Greeley-Evans School District 6.

Amendment 64, which legalized recreational marijuana, only applies to 
adults 21 years of age or older. That counts out all students within 
the district.

Officials will continue to use a range of punishments when it comes 
to disciplining any student who brings marijuana to school or comes 
to class under the influence.

The district will continue to use school resource officers and canine 
programs in conjunction with the Greeley Police Department to send a 
message to kids that it's never allowed on campus.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom