Pubdate: Tue, 22 Feb 2011
Source: Billings Gazette, The (MT)
Copyright: 2011 The Billings Gazette
Contact: http://billingsgazette.com/app/contact/?contact=letter
Website: http://www.billingsgazette.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/515
Authors: Cherrie Brady, Laura Needham and Susan Smith
Note: Cherrie Brady, Laura Needham and Susan Smith represent 
safecommunitysafekids.org, a Billings-based organization.
ALERT: Will Montana Repeal Its Medical Marijuana Law? 
http://www.mapinc.org/alert/0464.html
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/opinion.htm (Opinion)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/states/MT/ (Montana)

'NIGHTMARE' OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA THREATENS KIDS

Montana kids are in trouble! After speaking with principals, 
educators, parents and kids across the state, it's clear our schools 
are suffering the devastating consequences of passing the medical 
marijuana law. Montana is now No. 2 in the nation for teen marijuana 
use. Our situation is serious.

One principal described it as a "nightmare." Another said "It has 
crossed all boundaries, even star athletes are using it." They are 
finding it impossible to tell kids it's harmful. Many kids don't even 
believe it is still illegal, citing storefronts and signs all over 
town as evidence.

Kids are coming to school stoned or not coming at all. Policing it is 
a joke. We were told one high school had 10 drug cases in two days. 
Pot stays in the system so long that when kids test positive they can 
say they had it last weekend instead of at lunch. It is now in candy, 
sodas, suckers, etc., so they can be using it in the lunchroom and no 
one can prove it.

Students with cards have excess marijuana to sell. Another student is 
supplying his peers from the unlimited medical marijuana his father 
has access to. It has become easier to get than alcohol. Many 
students have older siblings or friends with cards. This has provided 
easy access even for elementary kids. A sixth-grade teacher said she 
has kids coming to school stoned. Educators note the apathy that 
comes with frequent marijuana use. It impacts their attendance, 
academic progress and involvement in extracurricular activities. 
Their main focus becomes smoking pot.

Our youth are being told this drug is a natural plant and is 
harmless. Yet we know marijuana is the No. 1 drug for which kids are 
in treatment. In 2010, the number of teenage patients in emergency 
room visits jumped 136.4 percent at Benefis Hospital in Great Falls, 
which named marijuana as its major abuse substance. Studies suggest 
marijuana use in adolescents doubles the risk of schizophrenia in 
later life. The human costs are potentially huge.

Does any of this sound like what Montanans voted for? Where in the 
voter pamphlet did it mention marijuana penetrating our schools and 
putting our kids at risk? Did it mention storefronts or signage? 
Where did it say we would be opening the door for students to become 
drug pushers? Did it mention we would get an industry that would be 
normalizing and legalizing marijuana?

Legislators should take a stand for our kids. This isn't a partisan 
issue -- it is a moral issue. Because it is dangerous and not even 
close to what Montanans voted for, they should be insisting on 
repealing this law, not trying to regulate. How do you regulate a 
federally illegal drug industry estimated at a billion dollars in Montana?

Attempting to regulate this mess is a proven mistake. No state has 
been able to regulate this successfully. The headlines say it all: 
The Huffington Post -- Medical Marijuana in Colorado: Judge Voids 
Board of Health Decision, California Supreme Court Strikes Down 
Medical Pot Limits; The Colorado Independent -- Suit filed to 
overturn marijuana laws.

While we mess around with trying to regulate we are losing a 
generation of kids. Is it worth the risk?

As parents and grandparents we should be alarmed! Montana schools 
must come forward and fight for a repeal. While we argue about the 
rights of individuals to use marijuana, the rights of our kids to 
have a safe school environment have all but disappeared. It is the 
responsibility of every school to protect their students at all cost.

There is no valid excuse for staying silent while so much is at stake.
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake