Marijuana Competes with High School in Colorado

Hello, my name is _______. _ I am 16 years old, live in Idaho Springs and attend Clear Creek High School. I am  here today to express my concern on the potency limit amendment.

In my town there are three dispensaries within about a 3-mile stretch.

With the legalization of marijuana it is becoming more accessible even to youth. While it is not legal for anyone under the age of 21, they are still getting it pretty easily. Parents and other supporters are willingly buying it illegally for children.

I have seen it all throughout my high school weekly if not daily. Kids come into school smelling like weed, you see them vaping, eating edibles or popping pills (marijuana pills).

Countless students have dropped out, been suspended or expelled because of it. My own friend has come to school high countless times.  Her motivation, GPA, and aspirations are dwindling at an alarming rate.  She is 17 years old and has now decided she no longer wants to go to college. We don’t hang out as much anymore because all she wants to do it get high. And I know for a fact her parents are buying it from retail stores.

Not only are kids getting bud, edibles, oils or pills. They are getting “dabs” or liquid THC.

I am a firm believer that children WILL be negatively affected by marijuana. It starts with one drug and then they want something stronger.

My own mother smoked it.  She was aloof and distant and soon moved onto other drugs. She gave my brother weed; he never finished high school and has been struggling since.  I haven’t talked to either of them in years.  It tore my family apart.

I am now a part of the Rock House, which is a youth outreach center for troubled teens or teens with troubled pasts. There I do a lot of community outreach and we see a lot of kids who come from troubled families. One member I was really close with got sent to foster care because his parents were abusing marijuana. I haven’t seen him in 2 years.

We cannot force the youth to stop, but with lowering the legal potency levels I believe we can help protect and prevent unwanted ‘accidents.’

(Read other recent articles about youth usage in Colorado, and the reports coming from Rocky Mountain HIDTA)