Pot problems in Colorado schools increase with legislation (sale, attorney)

[Josseppie]

This for me is a non issue. Sure kids should not bring pot to school just like they should not bring alcohol to school but I am not going to vote for or against something based on that.

[delta07]

Originally Posted by Colorado^

Nice scare mongering piece. "No hard data" and "anecdotes" ... in other words just someones opinion.

Alcohol, prescription drugs, cigarettes and guns are FAR FAR FAR more dangerous to your children than pot. But they are all perfectly legal for parents to own and they all end up in school. Sometimes with deadly consequences.

Heck, the chocolate milk and mac and cheese they serve the kids at lunch are, in the long term, far more addictive and dangerious to your health than pot (obesity is a killer) .

Don't get me wrong though. Pot has no business being in the hands of minors and no business at schools either. But lets target our efforts where they will do the most good. If we did an honest and independent assessment of the health risk to minors, I doubt pot would even make the list.

I couldn't agree with you more. There is no way to that there is any hard evidence or statistics to show that the recent legalization has had a negative impact on children at this point. It's going to take years to gather that information, and even so, I have my doubts that because of the legalization, kids will have easier access to pot. Whether people like it or not, kids will get what they want (and aren't suppose to have). Legalization isn't going to change that.

[coloradoalimony]

Originally Posted by Colorado^

Nice scare mongering piece. "No hard data" and "anecdotes" ... in other words just someones opinion.

Alcohol, prescription drugs, cigarettes and guns are FAR FAR FAR more dangerous to your children than pot. But they are all perfectly legal for parents to own and they all end up in school. Sometimes with deadly consequences.

Heck, the chocolate milk and mac and cheese they serve the kids at lunch are, in the long term, far more addictive and dangerious to your health than pot (obesity is a killer) .

Don't get me wrong though. Pot has no business being in the hands of minors and no business at schools either. But lets target our efforts where they will do the most good. If we did an honest and independent assessment of the health risk to minors, I doubt pot would even make the list.

Hey! Don't go defaming prescription drugs! After all millions of people benefit from them, while only about 33,000 die from accidental overdose! Those 33,000 are worth it!

In West Virgina, they recorded 29 deaths per 100,000 residents from prescription drug overdose. Roll that around in your head for a moment. At that rate, in a city the size of Boulder, TWENTY-NINE people die each year from prescription overdose.

Prescription drug abuse now more deadly than heroin, cocaine combined - CSMonitor.com

Yes, we need to foster all of our resources to stop the scourge that is marijuana!

[DurangoJoe]

So..... if they have more incidents in schools, is it because more kids are using or the kids who do use are now more open about it? Again, no hard facts in the story, nothing but numbers & speculation.

Typical scare story.........

[davidv]

Originally Posted by robertgoodman

"There are no hard numbers yet because school disciplinary statistics do not isolate marijuana from general drug violations. But school resource officers, counselors, nurses, staff and officials with Colorado school safety and disciplinary programs are anecdotally reporting an increase in marijuana-related incidents in middle and high schools." Pot problems in Colorado schools increase with legislation - The Denver Post, November 12, 2012

In high school I would have failed any report I turned in if it was based solely on anecdotal information. I do agree that we need to 'think of the children', but I am more concerned with how can we stop irresponsible journalism from harming an entire generation by teaching them that conjecture is just as valuable as the facts.

Well then you get a "C" for this post.

Further in the story, we learn, "The best quantifiable evidence the state has yet to indicate that marijuana is a significantly growing problem in schools comes from the 2012-13 report that documents why 720 students were expelled from public schools across Colorado."

"For the first time, marijuana was separated from other drugs when school officials were asked to identify the reason for students' expulsions. Marijuana came in first. It was listed as being a reason for 32 percent of expulsions."
[LEFT]
Remember, expulsions rarely happen on the first offense. Marijuana is responsible for 1/3 of all expulsions.
[/LEFT]

[McGowdog]

Originally Posted by Katiana

Back before marijuana was legalized, advocates (and others) said more people have problems with alcohol, which is legal.

Something like 10% of folks are potential alcoholic and something like another 10% are potential hard drinkers. That leaves 80% of folks who are teetotalers or CAN handle and enjoy their booze.

Originally Posted by Colorado^

Alcohol, prescription drugs, cigarettes and guns are FAR FAR FAR more dangerous to your children than pot.

^

Originally Posted by Katiana

Hey, I'm not anti-marijuana. Didn't I already say that? Nor am I a teetotaler.

I don't know if you're addressing me or not. I'm not reacting to whether anyone is pro-drug or pro-booze in here, I was just stating facts. I am taking note, however, that some folks compare weed to alcohol and try to state how dangerous alcohol is in comparison. I'm just stating that as a whole, alcohol is getting a bad rap by the very few that abuse it. Many folks don't, but they don't lead the headlines either.

[Katarina Witt]

Hey, I'm not anti-marijuana. Didn't I already say that? Nor am I a teetotaler. I did not support prohibition. I didn't vote for legalization, either, but I'm not waving the banner for repeal of it. There are lots of things that are more dangerous than marijuana. Riding is a car is probably more dangerous. That's irrelevant.

If marijuana use becomes widespread, more problems will come to be associated with it. Legalization will make it easier to get, therefore there will be more use, and some abuse. That's my prediction.

[motoracer51]

I'll blame bad parenting way before the laws passed in this state.

[robertgoodman]

Originally Posted by davidv

Well then you get a "C" for this post.

Further in the story, we learn, "The best quantifiable evidence the state has yet to indicate that marijuana is a significantly growing problem in schools comes from the 2012-13 report that documents why 720 students were expelled from public schools across Colorado."

"For the first time, marijuana was separated from other drugs when school officials were asked to identify the reason for students' expulsions. Marijuana came in first. It was listed as being a reason for 32 percent of expulsions."
[LEFT]
Remember, expulsions rarely happen on the first offense. Marijuana is responsible for 1/3 of all expulsions.
[/LEFT]

I read that, but in order for something to be proven as increasing there needs to be at least two data points . So with no basis of comparison the headline, and any statement similar to 'pot problems in Colorado schools increase with legislation' is conjecture based on anecdotal information which is what I was getting at.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by coloradoalimony

Back during Prohibition, advocates said that if alcohol became legal, we would see more problems with its usage, as more used and abused it.

Back before gambling was legalized, people said we would probably see more problems with people being addicted to gambling, as more people gambled away their earnings.

Back when people rode horses, people said we would have more people killed if the bicycle became widely adopted.

Back when people rode bicycles, people said we would have more people killed if the automobile became widely adopted.

And we did.

And we did.

And we did.

And we did.

So, your point is what?