NEWTON SCHOOL OFFICIALS: LEGALIZED POT WILL PLANT MORE
PROBLEMS

Newton - There's one more thing that partiers will be counting down to when
they tick off the last few seconds until the New Year: the decriminalization
of marijuana.

Whether they supported the ballot question in November or voted
against it, after midnight on Jan. 1, possessing an ounce or less of
marijuana will be a civil offense punishable by a fine, rather than
the possibility of jail time.

Newton Police are still figuring out what that will mean for the
city.

"We are still waiting to hear," said Newton Police Department
spokesman Lt. Bruce Apotheker. Meanwhile, the state's Executive Office
of Public Safety is working to draft an implementation procedure, well
aware of their Jan. 2 deadline, according to Terrel Harris,
communications director for that office.

"It is challenging when you have to change the philosophy around
marijuana enforcement," he said.

But Question 2 is one resolution that school administrators aren't
celebrating in the new year.

"I am extremely concerned," said Rich Catrambone, a social worker and
prevention intervention counselor for the Newton Public Schools. "And
I'm not the only one. There isn't one person that I know of who works
in the schools that doesn't have the same sinking feeling."

Catrambone believes that the decriminalization of marijuana will lead
students to believe the drug is safe.

"It's my assumption that because marijuana is less controlled, that it
will raise the number of kids that will experiment with it," he said.
"There will be a greater risk of addiction, and we will start to see
more kids driving while under the influence."

Roughly 33 percent of Newton high school students have experimented
with marijuana, according to the Youth Risk Behavior Survey conducted
in 2006-2007. But alcohol continues to be the preferred substance of
use, said Alison Malkin, the prevention/intervention counselor at
Newton North.

That same study indicated that 59 percent of high school students have
tried alcohol, and 53 percent had consumed alcohol within 30 days of
the study.

"The substance most heavily used by high school students remains
alcohol," wrote Malkin in an e-mail. "But the message given to many
teens with the passage of Question 2 is that marijuana is harmless and
[may] be smoked anytime, anywhere. [When in fact] this drug can affect
learning, perception, memory, multi-tasking and motivation."

According to Catrambone, there is a false belief among kids that it's
safer to drive while under the influence of marijuana than under alcohol.

"I don't think that's accurate," Catrambone said. "It's a different
kind of danger."

According to Malkin, Newton North currently runs a ninth-grade health
and wellness curriculum, which addresses decision-making and substance
abuse. Teachers also integrate marijuana prevention information into
their classes, and staff is available to assist students on a
case-by-case basis.

North has actually seen an increase of marijuana cases since new
legislation was approved on Nov. 4, even though the law does not go
into effect until Jan. 2.

Kids involved in marijuana use can face expulsion, according to
Catrambone, but that rarely happens. Typically, students will face
suspension, combined with some other disciplinary action. Catrambone
is worried that the measures schools take to respond to marijuana may
change now that state law has been relaxed.

Yet, supporters of Question 2 would argue that the new law actually
strengthens the penalties for minors, requiring parental notification,
a compulsory drug awareness program, 10 hours of community service and
a larger fine of $1,000, which did not exist under current law.

For offenders over the age of 18, the new law would make the
possession of an ounce or less of marijuana a civil offense punishable
by no more than a $100 fine.

"I don't really think that the use of marijuana in minor amounts ought
to be viewed much differently than the use of alcohol in moderate
amounts," said Newton resident and parent Dan Fahey, who supported the
ballot question. "Marijuana use under current law can cost people
jobs. That's a steep penalty to pay for something that doesn't rise to
the level of the use of other drugs."

Newton residents approved the legalization of marijuana with 72
percent in favor on Nov. 4, compared to the state, which voted 65
percent in favor.

Yet, Catrambone and his peers maintain that the new law isn't good
news for the schools: "We've been working hard to keep kids safe, and
this law has been a huge step back."