Reporter: POT SMOKERS
HAVE WASTED NO TIME IN
LIGHTING UP IN SELECT BARS
IN WASHINGTON AND COLORADO.
THE TWO STATES ARE SEEN AS
LEADERS IN A NATIONAL
MOVEMENT TO LEGALIZE
MARIJUANA, WHILE ADVOCATES
BELIEVE IT WOULD KEEP KIDS
SAFER, OPPONENTS FEAR IT
COULD PROVE DISASTEROUS.
ALTHOUGH MARIJUANA IS NOW
LEGAL IN COLORADO FOR THOSE
OVER 21, MANY BELIEVE THAT
THOSE UNDER 21 WILL BE ABLE
TO ACCESS IT MORE EASILY.
THAT IS A CONCERN BECAUSE
HEALTH-WISE, MARIJUANA
POSSESS A FAR GREATER THREAT
FOR TEENS.
SOME PEOPLE THINK
MARIJUANA IS JUST
PSYCHOLOGICAL ADDICTIVE, NOT
PHYSICALLY ADDICTIVE.
IT IS JUST A SOFT DRUG,
SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
I CAN TELL YOU FROM PERSONAL
EXPERIENCE THAT THESE KIDS
WHO COME TO SEE US ARE
DROPPING OUT OF LIFE.
Reporter: PSYCHIATRIST
CHRISTIAN THERSTONE DIRECTS
ONE OF COLORADO'S LARGEST
CLINICS FOR TEACHING
SUBSTANCE ADDICTION.
HE SAYS ONE IN EIGHT KIDS
WHO TRY MARIJUANA BEFORE THE
AGE OF 18 BECOME ADDICTED.
TWO-THIRDS OF MARIJUANA KIDS
EACH YEAR ARE UNDER 18.
THE WORST PART, THEIR BRAINS
ARE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE
VULNERABLE TO THE DRUG.
IT IS A TIME OF ENORMOUS
BRAIN DEVELOPMENT.
THE VERY RECEPTOR THAT
MARIJUANA BINDS TO IN THE
BRAIN IS THE RECEPTOR THAT
HELPS CONTROL THIS BRAIN
DEVELOPMENT.
Reporter: THAT MEANS
THESE YOUNG USERS CAN LOSE
AS MANY AS EIGHT I.Q.
POINTS.
THEY'RE FOUR TIMES TO DO
POORLY IN SCHOOL, AND TWICE
AS LIKELY TO HAVE AN
ACCIDENT.
COLORADO EDUCATORS PROVE A
LINK TO THE INCREASED LINK
TO MARIJUANA AND TROUBLE IN
SCHOOLS.
WHEN MARIJUANA MEDICAL
CLINICS STARTED POPPING UP
ACROSS THE STATE, SCHOOL
COMPULSION HAVE POPPED UP.
THEY BELIEVE THAT REGULATION
IS THE BEST WAY TO PROTECT
KIDS.
ILLEGAL MARIJUANA DEALERS
ARE NOT ASKING FOR PROOF OF
AGE.
BY TAKING IT AND PUTTING IT
BEHIND THE COUNTER AND
HAVING STRICT RULES ON
SELLING TO MINORS, WE CAN
BETTER KEEP IT OUT OF THEIR
HANDS.
Reporter: THE MARIJUANA
POLICY PROJECT HELPS PAY FOR
AND ORGANIZED THE COLORADO
AND WASHINGTON LEGALIZATION
LEGALIZATION COMPAIGNS.
IT IS TARGETING OTHER
STATES, BUT A NEW
ORGANIZATION IS
SAYING,
NOT
SO FAST.
WE INTRODUCE ANOTHER
ILLEGAL SUBSTANCE WHEN WE'RE
HAVING TROUBLE WITH OUR
CURRENT ONE.
Reporter: HE ADVISED
BUSH AND OBAMA ON THE DRUG
PROBLEM.
ALTHOUGH HE AGREES OUR
COUNTRY IS FAR TOO QUICK TO
CLINICALIZE MARIJUANA USERS,
HE IS NOT CONVINCED
LEGALIZATION IS THE ANSWER.
IT INCREASE THE PER MIS
PER NIPER MISSIVENESS.
Reporter: PATRICK
KENNEDY, AND DAVID FROM,
THEIR ORGANIZATION, "SMART
APPROACHES TO MARIJUANA," OR
SAM, BELIEVES THAT
LEGALIZATION SUPPORTERS HAVE
DOWNPLAYED THE RISK
O
F
SMOKING POT.
THIS IS NOT YOUR
WOODSTOCK WEED.
IT IS MUCH MORE HARMFUL
NOW.
Reporter: BUT KIDS SEEM
TO HAVE MISSED THAT
MESSAGE.
I DON'T THINK IT IS
HARMFUL AT ALL.
AND WHY DON'T YOU THINK
IT IS
DANGEROUS?
BECAUSE IT IS A PLANT AND
YOU SMOKE IT
AND
IT JUST
GETS YOU HIGH.
I
THINK ONE OF
THE
REASONS KIDS THINK IT
IS
OKAY BECAUSE
SO-CALLED
MEDICAL MARIJUANA HAS
SOFTENED AT STUDES.
Reporter: AND HE NOTES
THAT MUCH OF THIS NEW
RESEARCH HASN'T REACHED THE
PUBLIC.
IN THE MEANTIME, THERE IS A
FEAR THAT BIG TOBACCO
COMPANIES WILL GET INTO THE
MARIJUANA BUSINESS AND
TARGET YOUTH, JUST LIKE THEY
DID IN CIGARETTES.
CHURCHES IN COLORADO ARE
FIGURING OUT HOW TO WORK
WITH TEENS AS THE SITUATION
UNFOLDS.
ANY TIME ANY DRUG BECOMES
READILY AVAILABLE, WE NEED
TO TALK ABOUT IT.
Reporter: HE IS A
SENIOR PASTOR AT A MEGA
CHURCH IN COLORADO SPRINGS,
AND SAYS LEADERS THERE ARE
CONCERNED ABOUT HOW
LEGALIZATION WILL PLAY OUT,
BUT SAYS THEY SHOULDN'T MISS
THE BIGGER ISSUE.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WHY
ARE PEOPLE SO WILLING TO
MEDICATE THEMSELVES?
WHAT ISSUES ARE THEY
STRUGGLING FROM THAT CAUSES
THEM TO GO TO THINGS LIKE
MARIJUANA?
Reporter: NO ONE KNOWS
HOW MARIJUANA WILL SHAPE ITS
REGULATIONS OR HOW AVAILABLE
MARIJUANA WILL BE, STARTING
NEXT YEAR.
BUT WHAT IS CLEAR IS THIS:
THE NATION WILL BE WATCHING,
WAITING TO SEE WHAT
LEGALIZATION MEANS FOR
COMMUNITIES, AND ESPECIALLY
FOR THEIR YOUTH.
REPORTING IN DENVER, HEATHER
CELLS, CBN NEWS.
