Colorado school districts this year are wrestling with a new law that allows students with a valid prescription to get medical marijuana treatments on school property with or without help from a school nurse.
Jacks Law offers two alternatives for the states 179 school districts. They can write policies limiting where on campus the treatments can take place or what forms of non-smokable cannabis can be administered. If the district doesnt create a policy, parents or a designated private caregiver would have no limitations on where they could administer the treatment.
Its an either/or for the school districts, said Rep. Jonathan Singer, a Longmont Democrat who was the bills sponsor. He wanted to give parents the right to administer cannabis medicine while also allowing school districts a way to police its use.
Ultimately, the school districts can figure it out, Singer said, or the state will figure it out for you.
So far, some school districts – including Boulder Valley, Jefferson and Douglas County – are working on policies or have produced them.
Denver Public Schools, meanwhile, has refused to write a policy, saying marijuana use is still a violation of federal law, even for medicinal purposes.
Singer understands the districts reluctance to make way for medical pot for students, especially since only about 350 kids younger than 18 are currently enrolled in Colorados medical marijuana program.
Marijuana is still a Class 1 controlled substance and there are some nervous folks out there that dont want to deal with that in the classroom, Singer said. And school districts have a lot on their shoulders now and my guess is that most will wait on dealing with a policy or student until its a pressing need or issue.
Still, the new law will help Jack Splitt, who like a lot of 15-year-olds loves the Broncos and is starting to notice girls.
Jack also has an active mind that is keen on math, even though its encased in a rigid, balled-up body wracked by pain that only medical marijuana can ease, says his mom, Stacey Linn.
I know its so frustrating for him, he loves to socialize and wants to learn, said Linn, who battled for two years to let Jack take his non-smokable cannabis treatments while at school. Jack, now at Wheat Ridge High School, has cerebral palsy accompanied by painful, debilitating muscle contractions.
Linn won her fight this summer when Gov. John Hickenlooper signed Jacks Law on June 6. A designated caregiver – usually a parent or private caregiver – must administer the medication without creating a distraction and remove all excess medication.
The law stipulates that school district personnel are not required to administer the medication. It includes a provision that medical marijuana may not be administered on school buses or school-sponsored events that wind up on federal property or any other location that prohibits marijuana on its property.
Jacks Law allows a school district to opt out if it can reasonably demonstrate that it lost federal funding as a result of implementing the policy.
As far as Denver Public Schools is concerned, however, the federal ban on marijuana is a non-starter for making a DPS policy.
The substance is not federally approved and the Colorado State Board of Nursing is against its administration, said DPS spokeswoman Alexandra Renteria.
Still, the district must allow a parent or designated caregiver to administer medical marijuana on school grounds, Singer said.
The Colorado Association of School Boards earlier this year warned lawmakers of the legal implications of Jacks Law, said Matt Cook, the associations director of public policy and advocacy.
We dont want to put any school district in a position where they are violating the law, he said.
But the group sides with the parents and students who see the benefits of medical pot.
We are clearly with these students, Cook said, and its not our intent to harm these kids.
Linn saw an almost immediate change in her sons demeanor soon after he began taking medical marijuana and cutting down on his prescribed medications. The puffiness in Jacks face went down and he became more wide-eyed and engaged with his surroundings.
It started a whole new world for him, she said. It opened up some possibilities for him.
Linn began advocating for medical marijuana in schools when a school employee in February 2015 ripped a skin patch that was delivering cannabis-derived medicine off Jacks arm.
I couldnt believe it, she said. Where is your compassion?
She and other parents lobbied the state legislature. In 2015 they helped get a law passed that allowed schools to create policies permitting a students use of medical marijuana. But none of Colorados school districts created such a policy.
Linn and the parents pressed lawmakers again this year with Jacks Law, which passed the state Senate by a 35-0 vote and the House by a 64-1 vote.
I think this is a game-changer, Linn said.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker
Full Article: Colorado Districts Wrestle With New Law Allowing Students To Use Medical Marijuana At School
Author: Monte Whaley
Contact: 303-954-1010
Photo Credit: Hyoung Chang
Website: The Denver Post
