Skip to content

SD43 schools to send home cannabis letter

Rules for pot at school haven't changed — it's still banned — but the school district will be providing information to students, staff, parents today as legal weed rolls out across the country
Pot
A letter will be sent to parents, students and employees today (Wednesday) informing them of the district’s pot policy and how new provincial and federal regulations will effect them.

Cannabis legalization is an opportunity for School District 43 to update its code of conduct and let staff, students and parents know about the new pot rules so they don’t make bad decisions.

Assistant superintendent Rob Zambrano said a letter will be sent to parents, students and employees today (Wednesday) informing them of the district’s pot policy and how provincial and federal regulations will effect them. As well, social media will be used to communicate the district’s message, Zambrano said.

“Truthfully, not a lot has changed. We have always prohibited it [on school grounds] and will continue to,” Zambrano said.

He said that people might also be interested in knowing that there are now two new criminal offences to keep underage youth from getting access to weed: the prohibition against giving or selling cannabis to youth and using a youth to commit a cannabis-related offence.

“Those are new pieces in legislation and then of course there is provincial regulations that goes a little bit deeper into where and how and a lot of references specific to minors. We will be communicating that in a letter to parents,” Zambrano said.

The district will also update its code of conduct to include marijuana concerns and update its website.

“In the absence of information, people make poor decisions,” he said.

But he said he isn’t concerned legal marijuana will encourage young people to experiment, noting that alcohol and pot use has actually declined amongst youth.

As well, the district can now point to studies that show that excessive marijuana use can affect youth mental health.

“We can actually make those linkages,” Zambrano said, “and that is information we may not have had in the past and is important now to reiterate.”

According to Fraser Health, delaying cannabis use until after adolescence is advised because users who start young are more likely to develop related mental health and education problems or experience injuries or other substance use problems.

Because brain development doesn’t conclude until the mid-20s, Fraser Health, in a brief to the provincial government, suggested reduction in high-risk use is advised for young people under the age of 25.

More information from School District 43 can be found here.