LOCAL HIGH SCHOOLS COMBATING INCREASE IN DRUG 'INCIDENTS'

School administrators are seeing a jump in drug-related incidents they
say is connected to the growing acceptance of medical marijuana, and
police say things may get worse thanks to a new commonly available -
and still legal - synthetic version of the drug.

In the Poudre School District, drug incidents rose 48 percent last
year, almost exclusively in the four major high schools. "Incidents"
can be everything from a student coming to school high to getting
caught with pot, paraphernalia or pills. Most of the incidents don't
rise to the level where criminal charges are pursued, but the majority
of offenders are either suspended or expelled.

"The predominant drug we encounter is marijuana," said Manny Ortega,
PSD's assistant superintendent of secondary schools. "That's
predominately what's out there being used by kids."

For the 2007-2008 school year, Fort Collins High School reported 12
drug incidents. Last year, there were 47, almost a 300-percent increase.

Students caught violating the rules face stiff penalties. At FCHS last
year, for instance, 43 violators got at least a 10-day suspension, and
four were expelled for at least a semester.

"What's different about this year than last year? I think it's pretty
evident that the availability is a part of it," Ortega said.

In Thompson Valley, the number of drug incidents in high schools rose
33 percent, from 61 in 2007-08 to 81 last school year. At Windsor High
School, the number of incidents went from six in 2007-08 to 16 in
2008-09 and then to seven last year. The statistics were compiled and
first reported by the nonprofit Education News Colorado.

Ortega said everyone seems to understand that it's wrong to bring
drugs to school or to get high between classes. But, he said, some
people don't seem to realize the consequences of the district's
zero-tolerance policy. The district hasn't changed its policy recently.

"We still have kids making bad choices out there," Ortega said.
"Sometimes, when they have a problem,, they don't think they have a
problem."

Fort Collins police Officer Mark Larkin is a school resource officer
at Fossil Ridge High School. He said he's witnessed the increased
number of drug-related incidents and believes it's at least partly
connected to the perception that "medical" marijuana is OK for kids to
use.

"They're getting bombarded with the message that it's a medicine. And
it isn't," Larkin said. "Kids' beliefs play a big influence in the
choices they're making -- if they believe everyone is doing it, they
think it's OK to do."

Fossil Ridge had six reported drug incidents in the 2007-08 school
year, and saw 18 last year. Larkin said such statistics show the vast
majority of students are making good choices and staying away from
drugs.

Ortega and Larkin said another possible driver was PSD's decision to
move ninth- and 10th-graders from junior high schools into the high
schools, exposing younger kids to older ones much sooner.

While most of the violations for the past few years have involved
marijuana -- which kids tend to say they get from friends -- Larkin
said a new drug is rapidly becoming a concern. Known as Spice or K2,
it's a synthetic version of the active compounds in marijuana, and
it's often sold as incense at head shops and convenience stores,
Larkin said.

Until last year, tests couldn't detect Spice in urine, the way they
can detect marijuana. Now, tests conducted on juvenile offenders in
Larimer County are starting to show the drug's presence, Larkin said.

"I think it's a significant issue," he said. "For me, it's a concern.
And for the schools."

About 10 states already have banned Spice, which is sometimes known as
JWH-018, and Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch on Wednesday asked the federal
government to ban its sale by making it a Schedule 1 substance. In a
letter to the DEA, Hatch said Spice use in Utah is a trend "growing to
epidemic proportions."

Larkin said he and other SROs have been meeting with local legislators
to discuss the possibility of persuading Colorado lawmakers to ban the
substance. But he also acknowledged that some kids will try anything
to get high, from taking large doses of cough syrup, called
robo-tripping, to stealing their parents' prescription medicines.

At Windsor High School, Assistant Principal Dick Thomas said students
are required to participate in health-awareness programs that explain
the impacts drug abuse can have. A drug-sniffing dog also inspects
student lockers monthly, he said.

Eventually, parents must set good examples and high expectations, said
Bob Schaffer, chairman of the Colorado Board of Education. Schaffer
said he's seen the statistics, and believes the larger acceptance of
medical marijuana is playing at least some role in the increase.

"In large campus schools, there's very little new that can be done,"
Schaffer said. ""This is ultimately the responsibility of parents."