There is no perfect world in which kids have no interest in marijuana and no access to it. In fact, many kids have interest in it, and for decades most kids have said access to marijuana is easy. Even so, as one Seattle principal noted in his letter about recent marijuana use, more than 70 percent of kids don’t do drugs or alcohol.

Nevertheless, almost all of the current public discussion around legal cannabis starts from the self-blinded position that legalization will make marijuana available to kids. Publications with headlines such as “How to Keep Kids Safe With the Legalization of Marijuana” give the impression that marijuana will suddenly become a big issue for kids.

Well, maybe legalization will have the opposite effect, even with kids’ attitudes about the dangers of marijuana slipping toward the “not so dangerous” side.

Why would that work?

Lifting the veil of fear and secrecy.

Fear of the law. Fear of the consequences. Fear hasn’t historically kept kids from pot, but it has kept them and their parents from talking about it openly. It has kept parents who use marijuana from admitting that use to their kids and school officials for fear of having their lives turned inside out by the law.

It has kept the very prolific use of marijuana hidden in plain sight — a hypocrisy that clearly hasn’t worked.

“When I was a kid,” said Lisa Sharp, manager for drug prevention and intervention at Seattle Public Schools, “I went through the D.A.R.E. program, which is a lot of scare tactics — ‘you’re going to go to jail forever’ type of thing. We don’t do that because that doesn’t work with kids.”

Now, with legalization, that veil is lifting. Maybe the hypocrisy can be eliminated, too.

“Now that it’s legal,” Sharp said, “parents and kids now are admitting that families use, where maybe they weren’t before. … We are trying to help our parents look at it in a new way. If you are going to use, then what are the ways you can help keep your kids safe?”

Challenging times, for sure

One of the consequences of this new openness is that kids are more likely to see marijuana as less harmful, but that doesn’t mean kids have to think it is harmless or something they have to run right out and do.

In my long interview with Sharp, who did not take the position I’m taking in this article but instead talked with me about the new challenges (hard-to-spot vaporizers and edibles), tactics that work with kids and their parents:

“We tend to look at it similarly to alcohol at this point. We know that alcohol use for young people is not OK, that it’s not legal, it’s not safe, it has negative consequences, same with marijuana. So working with them on that analogy has helped some parents feel better about it. “We also are talking to parents that they (should) monitor their supply. (Seattle) Children’s Hospital has told me they’ve seen young kids come in overdosing on edibles. They grab their parents’ chocolate off the counter and eat it and it’s THC-filled, and they have negative reactions to that.”

The new availability of vaporizers and edibles in the medical marijuana market also presents new challenges for schools:

“We were seeing an increase of hard alcohol at the end of last school year, and there has been a little bit less of that. What they are finding for the first time ever … it’s the first school year we have found and confiscated vaporizers. We are finding vaporizers and electronic cigarettes and we are getting more edibles,” Sharp said.

Those edibles, she added, were packaged and labeled and clearly came from the medical marijuana market.

“One teacher noticed that these students were passing around an inhaler, and it wasn’t an inhaler — obviously it was a vaporizer,” she recounted.

Short answer here: Don’t sell to kids, and police your weed, folks.

But why legalize at all?

Without rehashing all the arguments for and against legalization, let’s just say that throwing another major segment of a generation of primarily young men (mostly black and Latino) into local jails and prisons won’t change the availability nor the increasing social acceptance of marijuana.

Instead, let’s talk. I know … weak. Talk talk talk talk … but that’s how we build up our understanding of the reality around us. That’s how we build within ourselves the moral compass or ethical framework that will give our choices a direction … good or bad.

Go back to that big number at the top of the story: 70 to 75 percent of kids, even now, don’t do drugs. Kids want to be good. Kids want to fit in and become the adults they admire. They also want to have fun, be accepted by their peers and take life-defining risks.

“What kids tell us over and over again, when we survey them anonymously, the main reason why they choose to be drug-free, if that’s the case, is because of their family and parents,” Sharp said.

Believe me, I’m no pollyanna about this stuff. I have two daughters in their 20s who went to schools in Seattle, and I confiscated and threw out our family’s share of marijuana when they were teens. And I can tell you that one of my fears for them was that they might be arrested for weed and somehow end up with a felony charge … losing a tremendous amount of their future rights in this country. Federal aid for college, for one.

A legal-weed world is a better world. But it’s not going to be an easy world. Neither will it be a harder world, because it’s challenging enough already.

“Is (the legal market) something we’re gearing for and getting ready for? Not particularly,” Sharp said, “because our messages are going to remain the same.”

What they tell kids about the “effects that young people get from using drugs and alcohol,” as Sharp said:

school penalties

discipline from guardians

not having enough money

compromised attention span

short-term memory loss

inability to concentrate

… “many kids report more difficulty in critical thinking skills and problem solving skills”

overall negative affect on academic performance

What about the money?

How kids interact with marijuana is a challenge worth addressing honestly and realistically. But it takes money to get professionals trained and in the schools, on the playground and available to homes where trouble may be starting.

The new, legal marijuana market will generate tens of millions of dollars to do just that. Funding for schools is a constant challenge, and funding for drug education is way down the list of programs to throw money at, but taxes from the sales of legal marijuana will be used for these programs and the money could be significant.

How much will actually be generated is a guessing game, but it will be certainly in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Colorado is looking at potential revenues that could hit $1 billion annually. Here’s a diagram of hoped-for revenues and how that money has to be spent:

502 Tax Revenue Chart

I asked Sharp what she would do with a windfall of money, should one come her way. She’d spend it on the kids:

We know that preventing use is much more impactful than later intervention. … So if we can find any way to expand that and to really make that standardized across all buildings and make sure that every single 7th grader gets the same level of service across the district, that every family gets the same level of service and really getting thoughtful evidence-based programing. … And, to be able to have folks in our buildings, especially our high schools, who can work with young people who are beginning to use, to be able to support them; (help kids) who have been caught at school maybe, and help support the family and the student through that process of assessing the problem and seeing if interventions are needed.

If this sort of support and forward thinking gets funded by legal weed, then legalization will be much better for kids than what we’ve had in the past here and what’s still the present in prohibitionist states across the country.









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Photo: Stephen Stickler / Getty Images Image 1 of / 19 Caption Close Image 2 of 19 Three counties account for about 50 percent of marijuana users in Washington. King County has about 30 percent of the marijuana users, while Snohomish and Pierce counties have roughly 11 percent each. Three counties account for about 50 percent of marijuana users in Washington. King County has about 30 percent of the marijuana users, while Snohomish and Pierce counties have roughly 11 percent each. Photo: Stephen Brashear / Getty Images Image 3 of 19 RAND estimates that Washington residents who use marijuana 21 or more times per month consume, on average, 1.3 to 1.9 grams during a typical day. And, those users are consuming roughly 80 percent of marijuana in Washington!. less RAND estimates that Washington residents who use marijuana 21 or more times per month consume, on average, 1.3 to 1.9 grams during a typical day. And, those users are consuming roughly 80 percent of marijuana ... more Image 4 of 19 In Washington, approximately 750,000 people used marijuana in the past month in 2013. In Washington, approximately 750,000 people used marijuana in the past month in 2013. Photo: Ron Wurzer / Getty Images Image 5 of 19 Image 6 of 19 Washingtonians who are heavy users (using most days of the month) report annual incomes below $20,000. They make up over 40 percent of heavy users in the state, as opposed to 25 percent in neighboring Oregon. High-income earners in Washington make up a relatively large share of infrequent users compared to Oregon and the nation less Washingtonians who are heavy users (using most days of the month) report annual incomes below $20,000. They make up over 40 percent of heavy users in the state, as opposed to 25 percent in neighboring Oregon. ... more Photo: Ron Wurzer / Getty Images Image 7 of 19 Washington appears to have a market slightly less dominated by males than Oregon or the United States as a whole. Across all geographies, the male share of users increases with increasing use, from roughly 51–55 percent for past-year users to 60–75 percent for heavy users. less Washington appears to have a market slightly less dominated by males than Oregon or the United States as a whole. Across all geographies, the male share of users increases with increasing use, from roughly ... more Photo: JOSHUA TRUJILLO / SEATTLEPI.COM Image 8 of 19 Where kids get their weed. Data from Seattle’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey and graphic by RAND. Where kids get their weed. Data from Seattle’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey and graphic by RAND. Image 9 of 19 Compared to the nation, and to Oregon, Washington appears to have more marijuana users reporting “some college” education, with relatively fewer users of low education and of higher- level education. Photo: Rick Steves, travel writer and television personality, attends Hempfest in 2003. less Compared to the nation, and to Oregon, Washington appears to have more marijuana users reporting “some college” education, with relatively fewer users of low education and of higher- level ... more Photo: Seattle Hempfest Image 10 of 19 Image 11 of 19 Friends are the dominant sources for marijuana in all three jurisdictions — US, Oregon and Washington — with strangers being the second most common source. Friends are the dominant sources for marijuana in all three jurisdictions — US, Oregon and Washington — with strangers being the second most common source. Photo: CommerceandCultureAgency / Getty Images Image 12 of 19 Respondents to the Cannabis Consumption Survey (conducted in Washington by RAND to bolster its research) were more likely to buy from a medical provider and less likely to buy from a dealer as compared to respondents who lived outside of Washington. less Respondents to the Cannabis Consumption Survey (conducted in Washington by RAND to bolster its research) were more likely to buy from a medical provider and less likely to buy from a dealer as compared to ... more Photo: JOSHUA TRUJILLO / SEATTLEPI.COM Image 13 of 19 Nearly 98 percent of past-month users in the Cannabis Consumption Survey report consumed cannabis in conventional bud form in the past year, and nearly 95 percent in the past week. … Many cannabis users have edibles once in a while, but few have them often. less Nearly 98 percent of past-month users in the Cannabis Consumption Survey report consumed cannabis in conventional bud form in the past year, and nearly 95 percent in the past week. … Many cannabis users have ... more Photo: Blend Images/John Lund/Sam Dieph / Getty Images/Blend Images Image 14 of 19 Washington appears to have a market slightly less dominated by males than Oregon or the United States as a whole. Across all geographies, the male share of users increases with increasing use, from roughly 51–55 percent for past-year users to 60–75 percent for heavy users. less Washington appears to have a market slightly less dominated by males than Oregon or the United States as a whole. Across all geographies, the male share of users increases with increasing use, from roughly ... more Image 15 of 19 Image 16 of 19 Lower-potency forms account for a modest share of the Washington market and probably a smaller share than they do nationwide, the RAND study states. In other words, Washington has high-THC pot. Lower-potency forms account for a modest share of the Washington market and probably a smaller share than they do nationwide, the RAND study states. In other words, Washington has high-THC pot. Photo: Photofusion / UIG via Getty Images Image 17 of 19 Dabbing, a particular method for consuming hash oil—a concentrate with very high THC levels—was reported by nearly 40 percent of past-month users and 52 percent of daily/near-daily users. Note: Under the I-502 system, pure concentrates like hash, hash oil or “shatter” cannot be sold without either a bit of something infused into them or being mixed/infused into other things such as baked good. less Dabbing, a particular method for consuming hash oil—a concentrate with very high THC levels—was reported by nearly 40 percent of past-month users and 52 percent of daily/near-daily users. Note: ... more Image 18 of 19 Unlike edibles - kief (or crystals taken off a marijuana bud, shown above), cannabis-infused beverages, hash oil, and hash resin are much more rarely used by infrequent cannabis users than those who use near-daily. less Unlike edibles - kief (or crystals taken off a marijuana bud, shown above), cannabis-infused beverages, hash oil, and hash resin are much more rarely used by infrequent cannabis users than those who use ... more Photo: Jonathan Kantor / Getty Images Image 19 of 19 Why legal marijuana will be good for Washington kids 1 / 19 Back to Gallery

Jake Ellison can be reached at 206-448-8334 or jakeellison@seattlepi.com. Follow Jake on Twitter at twitter.com/Jake_News. Also, swing by and *LIKE* his page on Facebook.

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