Effort to alert school kids to pot's hazards advances in Senate

Most of us recall “drug education” from our school days, including a tutorial or two on the potential pitfalls of pot use. And to think that was when pot was illegal.

One of the ironies of Colorado’s 2012 legalization of recreational marijuana is that there’s arguably an even greater need to offer youths guidance on the subject precisely because marijuana is now  part of the “establishment” — and very likely even easier for kids to get their hands on.

Thought we’d add that bit of context to this news release that just came over the transom from the Colorado Senate Republicans:

Today, Senate Majority Leader Chris Holbert (R-Douglas County) and Senator Randy Baumgardner’s (R-Grand County) bill to provide age-appropriate educational materials about the risks of underage marijuana use to schools passed unanimously out of the Senate Business, Labor, and Technology Committee. Senate Bill 17-025 offers public schools a resource bank of educational materials on marijuana related issues to help create suitable curricula.

“Helping our schools and students navigate the changing landscape here in Colorado must be at the forefront of our discussions on new policy,” said Holbert “Our bill ensures that schools have access to materials and curricula that will give our kids the tools they need to understand the risks related to marijuana use, similar to current alcohol education.” 

“It is important for us to reach out to public schools and offer them guidance on how to speak to a ten-year-old about marijuana use as opposed to a sixteen-year-old,” said Baumgardner. “Our kids are growing up in a state where marijuana is increasingly present in the public sphere, we must provide them with the tools they need to make smart choices.”

Senate Bill 17-025 now moves on to a vote of the committee of the whole.