Team Fort Collins

After contributing over 35 hours to a subgroup of the Amendment 64 Task Force called the Consumer Safety and Social Issues Work Group, I have mixed emotions about the final bills that the legislature passed regarding the marketing and sales of marijuana. In all aspects of my life, I try to focus on the positive so I will start there. Following are key points summarized by blogger Jacob Sullum:

•Marijuana stores may not engage in “mass-market campaigns that have a high likelihood of reaching minors.” This should mean that billboards are disallowed.

•Marijuana-oriented magazines must be kept behind the counter in stores that are open to people younger than 21.

•Marijuana products must be sold in tamper-resistant packages listing THC content.

•Pot stores may not sell regular snacks and drinks. This is to avoid confusion about the product someone is buying. If a rice krispie treat or energy drink is purchased, then the buyer should be clearly aware that the edible or drink is infused with marijuana.

•On-site consumption of marijuana will not be permitted.

HB 13-1317 is 70 pages long and like many bills, it is dry, yet interesting reading. It is glaring to me that no funding was dedicated for public education about marijuana use. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, one in six people who engage in marijuana in their teens are likely to develop a dependence to the substance. If taken regularly (whether smoked, inhaled, vaporized, or eaten), then teens have a much higher likelihood of failing in school and dropping out. For those who develop a dependence, the cost to the individual and society are significant. Illicit drug use alone accounts for $181 billion in health care, productivity loss, crime, incarceration and drug enforcement. The cost of substance abuse could be offset by a nationwide implementation of effective prevention policies and programs.

In addition to no funding for education, it is frustrating that childproof packaging was not required for marijuana products. The packages will be tamper resistant and opaque. It seems like this could be interpreted as a black baggie with a tight seal.

After January 1, 2014 Colorado adults may choose to partake of marijuana for recreational use, yet children and youth should not. Prevention efforts are needed intensively now. Team Fort Collins has already increased its focus on educating youth about marijuana and we will continue to do so. Not just because of the statistics, but because we see a need each and every week.

I’ll never forget an exchange that I had with a 15-year-old boy last week. He told me that his 21-year-old brother, who lives at home and has no job, has a medical marijuana card. The brother doesn’t seem to have an injury. One of his brother’s buddies just had an extra card and gave it to him. The brother often makes his own treats with hash oil. He puts it into butter, peanut butter bars and small chocolate candies and encourages the 15-year-old to have some. The younger brother always takes the treats and gives him to his mom. When it gets to be too much, then he hangs out at a friend’s house. We want this young man to finish school, pursue his interest in biochemistry and get a job. He wants to become a contributing member to society and, in a small way, our prevention education programs can help him do that.