SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO DEVELOP POLICIES ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA

School districts are discussing the best ways to incorporate medical
marijuana into their substance-abuse policies and drug-abuse campaigns.

Now that Arizona has become the 15th state to approve the use of
medical marijuana, several district administrators say it will likely
fall in the prescription-drug category, and any abuses will be handled
the same as other prescription medications.

As discussions begin and committees are formed on how to handle the
new law, administrators say they are talking with California school
districts to see how they have handled the issue and their concerns
and risk factors. California was the first state to approve a
medical-marijuana law in 1996.

The new medical-marijuana law will be yet another challenge to schools
as they urge students to stay away from drugs, especially since
prescription-drug abuse is most common among young people.

"We will continue to work with students to understand it's not healthy
and not a good lifestyle choice and here's why," said Lorah Neville,
director of curriculum for the Chandler Unified School District.

"We will continue to remind folks that just because you can get a
prescription for something doesn't mean it's safe," she added. "We
will work to teach kids to be safe and make good choices."

Many school districts are now handling these drug-abuse talks in
house, with health teachers and counselors having those conversations
with students. Programs such as DARE, or Drug Awareness and Resistance
Education, were cut this school year because of budget issues.

Chandler district administrators are working with city police to find
appropriate, cost-effective ways for police officers to continue
having that open dialogue with students.

"We really had to rethink how we will approach this," said Neville,
referring to the new law and the loss of DARE. "We're trying to figure
out what kind of support Chandler police can provide and how we can
address areas of concern within the community. We're really trying to
have a needs-approach as to where we put our efforts."

In Mesa, counselors visit classrooms to talk about goals and ways to
keep safe and on track, and medical marijuana will be included in
those talks, said David Shuff, director of student support services in
Mesa Public Schools.

He noted officials see prescription drugs such as Soma and Oxycontin
in schools, "and they are rarely the kids' prescriptions" and said
medical marijuana will be handled similarly.

The law will allow patients with diseases such as cancer, HIV/AIDS,
hepatitis C and other chronic or debilitating disease to buy 2 1/2
ounces of marijuana every two weeks, or grow their own marijuana
plants in some cases.

Patients must get a recommendation from their doctor and register with
the state Health Department. The state Department of Health Services
has to come up with formal regulations to determine who can get
medical marijuana and who can sell it.

After ballots are canvassed Nov. 29, the state has four months before
the law goes into effect, and the state hopes to have rules for
medical pot's sale and use implemented by April. "We're interested in
hearing what the implementation will be," Shuff said. "We're still
unsure of what age limit will be allowed. There are more questions
than answers right now with regards to medical marijuana."

NotMYkid, a local non-profit organization that gives talks on
adolescent issues such as drug abuse, feels the new law will require
more aggressive and deeper aspects to training specific to marijuana,
said Paul Penzone, the director of the group's prevention programs.

"It's (marijuana) one of the most prevalent and influential gateways
in substance abuse," said Penzone, a retired Phoenix police sergeant.
"This law passing is irresponsible from the aspect that we really as a
society do not have enough research, guidelines, protocols or rules to
manage what we've disguised as a medical need and process."

"NotMYkid has to make sure that the message of any and all substances
that impair your mental and physical capabilities are not abused and
that education protects kids as well as adults from poor decisions
that could impact their lives negatively and create addictions," added
Penzone. who fears legalizing medical marijuana creates a different
attitude about pot use in general.

"We recognize that there truly are medical needs for some substances
if distributed or managed under a doctor's care," Penzone said. "My
concern is just that we are rolling out the availability of a
substance without truly having a comprehensive program to manage the
distribution and educate young adults. "

Juliet Martin, spokeswoman for the Arizona School Boards Association,
said it's too early to know exactly how the medical-marijuana passage
will affect schools.

"Generally with legislation that has to do with schools, we'll issue
policy advisories that help school boards and districts revise their
own policies or incorporate new policies that respond to whatever the
latest legislation is," Martin said. "This will fall into that same
category."

Martin said the association looks at how new laws affect teachers and
students.

"The way that the statute is written, there are definitely areas that
apply to teachers and apply to students," she said.

The proposition includes references to schools, including prohibiting
possession and use of medical marijuana on a school bus or school grounds.

"There's definitely wording special to schools," Martin said. "Those
are going to need to be included in policies."

Arizona Republic reporter Allie Seligman and the Associated Press
contributed to this article.