Small Town Colorado Students Learn About Pot In School
OAK CREEK, Colo. (CBS4)- Some students in the small Colorado town of Oak Creek are learning about pot.
Legalized marijuana was approved by voters in Colorado in 2012. And since then, children have often been receiving mixed messages about the drug.
School counselor Molly Lotz and teacher Sarah Grippa, co-founders of the Marijuana Education Initiative, believe the messages being sent to kids about the drug need to relay the fact that pot can damage your still-developing brain.
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"We still do have a couple parents here and there that... think it's a little too early to start having the conversation," Oak Ridge superintendent Darci Mohr said.
But Mohr said this is when kids are starting to experiment.
"So between fifth and sixth grade is when we're starting to see that kids are actually talking about it," Mohr said.
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Taxes on marijuana help pay for the course and Gov. John Hickenlooper supports the education.
"We're not imparting morality. We're just trying to provide fact-based, science- and research-backed information so that adolescents can try to navigate this very difficult and new environment," Grippa said.
A bill that would let some students use medical marijuana products in schools is awaiting Hickenlooper's signature after lawmakers passed it last week. It would require campuses to allow non-smokable marijuana medicines like oils and pills but only if the drug is provided by a parent, guardian or medical professional.