BILL WOULD GET TOUGH ON TEEN POT USE

Driver's License Would Be Forfeited

Juveniles caught with marijuana may lose their driver's license --
including those too young to drive.

Law enforcement and school officials testified Wednesday that a bill by
Rep. Alice Nichol, D-Adams County, is an attempt to create serious
consequences for pot use by teens.

"A conviction under the bill would lie in wait for (kids) until they turned
16 and then prevent them from getting a driver's license...if they did not
get treatment," Thornton police Capt. Randy Nelson said.

HB 1040 is similar to laws that impose driving restrictions on youths caugh
drinking or doing graffiti.

Kaci Carleson, 18, senior-class president at Arapahoe High School and a
self-described former marijuana user, told the House Transportation
Committee that drug treatment turned her life around two years ago.

"I got away with (smoking pot)...longer than I should have," Carleson said.
Even a near-accident while high on marijuana "that could have killed me and
four other people" didn't get her to stop.

"Drugs are everywhere, but kids don't take using marijuana seriously," she
said. "Teenagers would stop and think about it if (possession) cost them
their driver's license. That...really means something to them."

She told the commitee some teens prefer to drive under the influence of
marijuana rather than alcohol because it is less detectable and penalties
are less severe.