'NIGHTMARE' OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA THREATENS KIDS

Montana kids are in trouble! After speaking with principals,
educators, parents and kids across the state, it's clear our schools
are suffering the devastating consequences of passing the medical
marijuana law. Montana is now No. 2 in the nation for teen marijuana
use. Our situation is serious.

One principal described it as a "nightmare." Another said "It has
crossed all boundaries, even star athletes are using it." They are
finding it impossible to tell kids it's harmful. Many kids don't even
believe it is still illegal, citing storefronts and signs all over
town as evidence.

Kids are coming to school stoned or not coming at all. Policing it is
a joke. We were told one high school had 10 drug cases in two days.
Pot stays in the system so long that when kids test positive they can
say they had it last weekend instead of at lunch. It is now in candy,
sodas, suckers, etc., so they can be using it in the lunchroom and no
one can prove it.

Students with cards have excess marijuana to sell. Another student is
supplying his peers from the unlimited medical marijuana his father
has access to. It has become easier to get than alcohol. Many
students have older siblings or friends with cards. This has provided
easy access even for elementary kids. A sixth-grade teacher said she
has kids coming to school stoned. Educators note the apathy that
comes with frequent marijuana use. It impacts their attendance,
academic progress and involvement in extracurricular activities.
Their main focus becomes smoking pot.

Our youth are being told this drug is a natural plant and is
harmless. Yet we know marijuana is the No. 1 drug for which kids are
in treatment. In 2010, the number of teenage patients in emergency
room visits jumped 136.4 percent at Benefis Hospital in Great Falls,
which named marijuana as its major abuse substance. Studies suggest
marijuana use in adolescents doubles the risk of schizophrenia in
later life. The human costs are potentially huge.

Does any of this sound like what Montanans voted for? Where in the
voter pamphlet did it mention marijuana penetrating our schools and
putting our kids at risk? Did it mention storefronts or signage?
Where did it say we would be opening the door for students to become
drug pushers? Did it mention we would get an industry that would be
normalizing and legalizing marijuana?

Legislators should take a stand for our kids. This isn't a partisan
issue -- it is a moral issue. Because it is dangerous and not even
close to what Montanans voted for, they should be insisting on
repealing this law, not trying to regulate. How do you regulate a
federally illegal drug industry estimated at a billion dollars in Montana?

Attempting to regulate this mess is a proven mistake. No state has
been able to regulate this successfully. The headlines say it all:
The Huffington Post -- Medical Marijuana in Colorado: Judge Voids
Board of Health Decision, California Supreme Court Strikes Down
Medical Pot Limits; The Colorado Independent -- Suit filed to
overturn marijuana laws.

While we mess around with trying to regulate we are losing a
generation of kids. Is it worth the risk?

As parents and grandparents we should be alarmed! Montana schools
must come forward and fight for a repeal. While we argue about the
rights of individuals to use marijuana, the rights of our kids to
have a safe school environment have all but disappeared. It is the
responsibility of every school to protect their students at all cost.

There is no valid excuse for staying silent while so much is at stake.