Recently, Denver South High School led a pre-emptive effort to tackle some of the questions around Amendment 64 and Denver’s youth by hosting a discussion panel. The panel included a range of community members, from school-based health educators to special interest groups (both for and against Amendment 64), to members of Denver Health and the city attorney’s office.
The discussion was not only civil but informative, even if slightly daunting from a parent’s perspective. It highlighted that, although we have some sense of the dangers with respect to adolescent usage of marijuana, we as a community have neither put forth a uniform message as to why teenagers should refrain from using marijuana, nor have a concrete agenda as to how to handle the potential pitfalls (mental health, school-based regulation, or otherwise) related to its increased availability among teens in Denver.
Where do we go from here?
Carolyn Howard, Denver
This letter was published in the March 8 edition.