Q: Will school nurses start holding marijuana in their offices since it’s medical for some?
A: As of now, a person with a medical marijuana card can only have one care-giver who issues their marijuana. Since the school nurses will not be dispensing medical marijuana, students cannot have this at school.
Q: How does the school plan to deal with the disparity between state and federal law involving the smoke-free and drug free campus?
A: Under state law, minors may lawfully smoke tobacco products and it’s only a crime to sell to a minor, whereas alcohol and/or drug use is a crime for minors. As a result, tobacco is deemed less offensive than drug/alcohol use or possession, thus, the consequences are less severe.
Q: What would you say is the number one reason someone tries marijuana for the first time?
A: Peer pressure.
Q: Are the school policies the same for all substances? Tobacco?
A: No, tobacco does not result in penalties as severe as illicit drugs.
Q: What are the legal and school consequences if youth get caught with pot?
A: Depending on the amount of marijuana, the penalties will vary. Legally, minors suffer the same consequences as adults. In school, students can be expelled, suspended, and the police notified.
Q: What does research show are the short and long term affects on kid’s brains?
A: Here are some of the effects:
- Short-term memory impairment and slowness of learning.
- impaired lung function similar to that found in cigarette smokers. Indications are that more serious effects, such as cancer and other lung disease, follow extended use.
- Decreased sperm count and sperm motility.
- Interference with ovulation and pre-natal development.
- Impaired immune response.
- Possible adverse effects on heart function.
- By-products of marijuana remaining in body fat for several weeks, with unknown consequences. The storage of these by-products increases the possibilities for chronic, as well as residual, effects on performance, even after the acute reaction to the drug has worn off. Of special concern are the long-term developmental effects in children and adolescents, who are particularly vulnerable to the drug’s behavioral and psychological effects. The “amotivational syndrome,” characterized by a pattern of energy loss, diminished school performance, harmed parental relationships, and other behavioral disruptions, has been associated with prolonged marijuana use by young persons. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00001143.htm
Q: Why can or can’t we do random drug tests on our students?
A: While it is extremely costly to conduct drug testing, it also challenges 4th Amendment rights regarding searches and seizures and the ability to potentially create a drug testing policy that meets those constitutional parameters for the particular student community.
Q: What is the law regarding minors acquiring a medical marijuana card?
A: A person under the age of 18 can only acquire a medical marijuana card with their parents present.