It’s time to acknowledge the fact that communities all across Colorado are dealing with a rapidly growing health concern in today’s adolescents- the use of marijuana. If left untreated, this substance abuse problem has the potential to pose devastating health effects in teens across the front range and beyond. Ranked #3 in the nation for current marijuana use amongst adolescents, Colorado communities have experienced a rapid increase in teenage substance abuse. According to Christian Thurstone, M.D, this alarming rise in teenage marijuana use is due to three factors: availability, perceived harmfulness, and societal norms. It’s clear that the more access teens have to drugs, the more socially acceptable they become. In battling teenage substance
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According to the report entitled The Legalization of Marijuana in Colorado: The Impact (2015), this law legalized marijuana for recreational purposes for anyone 21 years of age or older. This amendment allowed for the licensing of dispensaries, cultivation operations, and manufacturing of marijuana edibles. The legislation was also passed to allow individuals to use and possess an ounce of marijuana on their person as well as grow up to six marijuana plants (The Legalization of Marijuana in Colorado, 2015). The report also noted that retail marijuana businesses became operational on January 1st, 2014, allowing dispensaries to crop up in close proximity to Colorado schools and …show more content…
With the legalization of recreational marijuana in the state of Colorado, an increase in adolescent marijuana use in schools has been experienced with devastating effects. A June 2015 Rocky Mountain HIDIA survey of 95 Colorado school resource officers and an August 2015 survey of 188 Colorado School counselors revealed that a large majority have experienced an increase in student marijuana-related incidents since recreational marijuana was legalized (The Legalization of Marijuana in Colorado: The Impact, 2015). The surveys also discovered that the most common violations on school campuses have been marijuana possession and attending class under the influence. They also uncovered that the most students had obtained their marijuana from a friend who obtained it legally, or from their parent’s/family members (The Legalization of Marijuana in Colorado: The Impact.
According to the report entitled The Legalization of Marijuana in Colorado: The Impact (2015), this law legalized marijuana for recreational purposes for anyone 21 years of age or older. This amendment allowed for the licensing of dispensaries, cultivation operations, and manufacturing of marijuana edibles. The legislation was also passed to allow individuals to use and possess an ounce of marijuana on their person as well as grow up to six marijuana plants (The Legalization of Marijuana in Colorado, 2015). The report also noted that retail marijuana businesses became operational on January 1st, 2014, allowing dispensaries to crop up in close proximity to Colorado schools and …show more content…
With the legalization of recreational marijuana in the state of Colorado, an increase in adolescent marijuana use in schools has been experienced with devastating effects. A June 2015 Rocky Mountain HIDIA survey of 95 Colorado school resource officers and an August 2015 survey of 188 Colorado School counselors revealed that a large majority have experienced an increase in student marijuana-related incidents since recreational marijuana was legalized (The Legalization of Marijuana in Colorado: The Impact, 2015). The surveys also discovered that the most common violations on school campuses have been marijuana possession and attending class under the influence. They also uncovered that the most students had obtained their marijuana from a friend who obtained it legally, or from their parent’s/family members (The Legalization of Marijuana in Colorado: The Impact.