School District in Colorado Allows Medical Marijuana

A school district in Colorado all voted on Thursday to let students with certain medical conditions use cannabis products in school. The District 49 Board of Education voted 5-0 to support this. This means that students in schools throughout Colorado Springs as well as Peyton are able to treat medical conditions with marijuana between classes. However, they cannot use medicine that needs to be inhaled.

The Colorado Association of School Boards stated last week that the vote on the “Compassionate Administration of Therapeutic Cannabinoid Products on District Property” policy hash made District 49 the first of 178 school districts in the state to allow the medical marijuana in schools.

Around forty students with debilitating conditions that could be treated with cannabis products are enrolled throughout District 49, which is made up of more than twenty schools, including three high schools, according to district spokesman Matt Meister. Among the forty or so students that will likely benefit from the new decision is Jackson “Jaxs” Stormes. Stormes is a 16-year-old Sand Creek High School student who was suspended a year ago for bringing cannabis oil to school, the district reported. He was using cannabis oil pills to deal with his seizures. However, his mom had accidentally packed it with his lunch one day.

“In 2012, we pretty much ran out of options,” Ms. Stormes said. “We started cannabis, and almost immediately he did better. His seizures were in better control. He was just starting to thrive and do so much better. District 49 is creating a policy that will allow children with epilepsy to have full educational access.”

“This policy is not about District 49 deciding what is an acceptable medical treatment,” Marie LaVere-Wright, District 49 Board of Education president, reported. “Jax’ Policy is about respecting the decision of a child’s parent and physician. Ultimately this policy is about our District 49 family taking care of its kids.”