Pubdate: Thu, 15 Oct 2015
Source: Denver Post (CO)
Copyright: 2015 The Denver Post Corp
Contact:  http://www.denverpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/122
Author: Elizabeth Hernandez

POT CALLED TOP ISSUE FACING STATE'S SCHOOLS

Thornton) School officials and educators packed a conference room 
Wednesday, taking detailed notes and heaving collective sighs as they 
learned about what authorities are calling the No. 1 issue Colorado 
schools face: marijuana.

"We got sold that marijuana legalization was going to positively 
impact our schools," said Christine Harms, director of the Colorado 
School Safety Resource Center. "And there is the school 
infrastructure aspect; but we're not seeing tremendous changes with 
marijuana prevention programs, and our students are paying the price."

More than 350 school officials, first-responders and school mental 
health professionals gathered Wednesday in Thornton for the resource 
center's Safe Schools Summit.

The conference, which runs through Thursday, offers training sessions 
and panels on issues such as school-shooting response and human 
trafficking. The center said that a panel on marijuana legalization 
is back by popular demand.

"It's the No. 1 problem in schools right now," said Lynn Riemer, 
president of ACT on Drugs, a nonprofit drug awareness and education 
organization.

Michael Song, assistant attorney general, gave the marijuana 
presentation, telling school faculty members about shifting attitudes 
young people have toward marijuana and the ways in which authorities 
can address this new frontier.

Jeff Whitmore, director of transportation for Bayfield School 
District in southwest Colorado, shook his head after the more than 
hour-long presentation that covered edibles, cannabis paraphernalia 
and the laws about marijuana possession on school campuses.

"At first, I thought it was similar to alcohol and that the kids 
would do it anyway and all that," Whitmore said. "But it's like 
they're disguising alcohol as KoolAid and marketing it to kids. These 
edibles are cookies and gummy bears, and they're filled with high 
amounts of THC."

While data on marijuana-related incidents in Colorado public schools 
remains contested and scarce, many educators said they are seeing the 
problem escalate.

"This is not a concern simply because it's new," Harms said. "This 
really is an issue, and we need to educate our parents about it so 
they can be vigilant."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom