Colorado Schools Grapple with Medical Marijuana Law, Policy

Local officials and school administrators in Colorado are struggling to reconcile the state’s medical-marijuana laws with school drug policies, the Summit Daily News reported May 19.

For example, students at Summit High School can be suspended or expelled for marijuana possession — a typical policy at high schools statewide — but there is no rule for how to handle legal users of medical marijuana.

Under state law, Colorado residents under age 18 may use medical marijuana with a doctor’s permission and parental approval.

Also, school nurses, who normally dispense medication for children with prescriptions, are ineligible to hold or distribute marijuana without special training and certification to be a designated caregiver for medical-marijuana patients.