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Lynn Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Catherine Latham said she’s very concerned about anything to do with legalizing marijuana, and said she heard it’s a gateway drug.
BY DILLON DURST
The region’s school superintendents are united on one thing: they oppose the legalization of marijuana.
In November, a ballot question will ask voters whether to make recreational pot legal for anyone over 21. The initiative follows landslide approval in 2012 by the Bay State’s electorate to approve medical marijuana.
“I think we’re sending mixed messages to kids,” said Revere Superintendent Dianne Kelly.
Schools are telling kids how bad marijuana is and to stay away from it, but if it’s legalized, it’ll be contradicting, she added.
The Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents (MASS), which represents 277 superintendents and 148 assistant superintendents, has joined the fight against the legalization of pot.
The trade group said they are concerned about use among minors in states where marijuana is legal, routine use of the drug starting in adolescence that leads to brain impairment, and the exposure of marijuana to more young children.
“As superintendents, our primary focus is on helping each and every student reach their full potential, and we believe the commercial legalization of marijuana runs directly counter to that goal,” said Thomas Scott, MASS executive director, in a statement. “Where marijuana is legal, we see increased use and abuse by young people. We urge all parents in our communities to vote against this proposal this fall.”
Herb Levine, interim Peabody superintendent, said research proves that pot hurts young brains and school grades.
“I believe the push to legalize marijuana for recreational use is wrong-headed,” he said.
Lynn Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Catherine Latham said she’s very concerned about anything to do with legalizing marijuana, and said she heard it’s a gateway drug.
But not everyone agrees. Proponents say regulating marijuana will replace an underground market with a system of licensed businesses that only sell to adults. They argue that products will be tested, packaged and labeled to ensure marijuana is safe. It will free police to spend more of their time and limited resources on violent crimes, and taxing marijuana sales will raise millions in new revenue annually.
James Borghesani, a spokesman for the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, said keeping marijuana illegal is dangerous for consumers because they’re buying marijuana that is untested and not properly labeled or packaged in child-resistant containers.
“We share the goal of reducing marijuana use among youth, but we think regulating it is much better than leaving drug cartels and criminals in control,” Borghesani said in a statement.
Marblehead Superintendent MaryAnn Perry and Swampscott Superintendent Pamela Angelakis did not return calls seeking requests for comment.
Dillon Durst can be reached at [email protected].
