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By Andrea Warren Reprinted by Special Permission from Project ALERT Since 2014 and the legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado Project ALERT teachers have faced a dilemma how can they effectively help teens decipher confusing messages about the safety and health consequences of marijuana now that its legal recreationally and some students parents grow andor use it Educators police community leaders and medical person- nelnot to mention concerned parents who wish to keep their teens away from marijuanaworry about the drugs increasing availability and its growing social acceptance. In addition to addiction and the desire to try more potent drugs possible consequences of early consistent use of marijuana are many. They can include impact on brain development interference with memory and sleep patternsand negative implications for current and long-term mental health problems.12 When reporting incidents related to drugs school districts lump together heroin cocaine marijuana and prescription drugs but experts suggest that Colorados 24 increase in middle school violations this past year is largely due to mari- juana. These violations have included students bringing pot- laced edibles to school and sharing them smoking pot on school grounds and selling pot to other students.3 Parents can play a key role in keeping drugs out of the hands of children and teens and most do just that. However there are a few parents who do not and instead set a permissive example with their own usage. When students defend what their parents are doing Project ALERT educators must choose their words carefully. I cant tell my students that their parents are wrong com- mented Mikayla Curtis resource development coordinator for the Eagle River Youth Coalition which offers Project ALERT free of charge to Vail-area schools but I can stress personal consequences. Brain development is a major one since the brain isnt fully developed until age 25. So what children and teens put into their bodies impacts them differently than it does their parents. If students counter that marijuana has medicinal benefits Curtis reminds them that some people may use it because they believe it helps with symptoms but it is not a cure for anything. I also remind them that its still illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to possess or use marijuana. Curtiss main goal is to promote healthy behaviors and to prevent or at least delay usage. Dont do it now. Thats how were focusing our message. Because the longer they wait the less likely they are to become abusers. In Calhan southeast of Denver Laurie Ochsie has taught Project ALERT for over a decade in her seventh and eighth grade science classes. She agreed that it is more challenging to teach the negatives of marijuana to students whose par- ents are users. Since marijuana was legalized theyre much harder to convince that it can be bad for them. It may be legal but theres a reason its not legal for young people because it can cause both physical and psychological problems. I remind them that they have a right to say no to drugs something our Project ALERT lessons help them learn how to do. Once they finish this course they know the facts and have the tools to help them resist. YMSgtMaj Zoe Jackson a high school senior in Colorado Springs teaches Project ALERT as a volunteer in a national nonprofit The Young Marines that promotes a healthy drug- free lifestyle to young people. Jackson took Project ALERT through the organization when she was 13. She found what she learned to be so helpful that she became a certified fa- cilitator. In her class of middle school teens which meets at a local high school she discusses marijuanas effects on the body and brain. Kids dont have much defense when presented with the facts Jackson said.Sometimes theyll bring up certain celeb- rities who openly smoke pot and will argue that these people are successful. So we talk about that and how you dont really know what a person is experiencing away from the cameras. If theyre using marijuana theyre using it as a crutch for one reason or another. She points out to her classes that smoking marijuana cant help them escape from their problemsthat those problems are just going to be waiting until they decide to solve them. Once students relate this to their own family members they realize what this drug is doing to them. Because of what they learn in Project ALERTthey dont have to let it happen to them. References 1 Lisdahl. K. M. Wright N. E Medina-Kirchner C. Maple K. E. Shollen- bargerS.2014.Considering cannabis The effects of regular cannabis use on neurocognition in adolescents and young adults. Current Addiction Reports 1 144-156. 2 Rubino T. Zamberletti E. Parolaro D. 2102. Adolescent exposure to cannabis as a risk factor for psychiatric disorders. Journal of Psychopharma- cology 26 177-188. 3 National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. 2015. More Colo- rado Students Bringing Marijuana to School Anecdotal Reports Suggest. Andrea Warren M.S. is a journalist and author living in Kansas City. She is a long-time contributor to Project ALERT publications. When Marijuana is Legal and Parents are Users How Can Project ALERT Educators Respond to Students Rising to the Challenge in Colorado Page 8 ESPRIT