Edmonds School District sees spike in teen marijuana use

EDMONDS, Wash. — School district leaders in Edmonds say they’ve seen a big jump in marijuana-related incidents during the first month of school, and the superintendent wants to remind parents that the drug is still illegal for teens.

Edmonds School District Superintendent Nick Brossoit sent an email to parents this week warning them about the increase in pot busts.

Brossoit said there have already been 25 marijuana incidents involving Edmonds children this year. That’s up from 17 incidents in the same time period last year.

“It’s troubling when things happening in the adult word start to influence and permeate the sacred and safe place of a school,” Brossoit said.

Since recreational marijuana became legal in Washington, students, parents and educators say the way teens perceive the once-illegal drug has changed.

Cami DeVries is a high school student in Edmonds. She said she’s never tried marijuana, but knows plenty of students who have.

“I think they see it more as a thing to do for fun,” she said. “They don’t see it as a bad thing.”

And that’s a problem for Brossoit, who said the district has seen a 47 percent jump in marijuana possession compared to last year.

“I don’t know if a lot of thought was given to the effect it would have on school age children,” Brossoit said of the state’s new drug laws.

While recreational marijuana is now legal for Washington adults, the drug is still very much illegal for minors, and it’s also prohibited inside Edmonds schools.

“It’s been made legal and that’s what (students) hear. And they don’t here that’s it’s illegal for me because I’m under the age of 21,” said Haley Broughton, a prevention intervention specialist.

Experts say teen marijuana use can be damaging to developing brains, and Brossoit is asking parents to speak with their teenagers about pot, even if the parents themselves use the drug.

“In those households where the use of marijuana is something that the adults have chosen to do, they need to be very mindful of the young eyes that are watching them,” he said.

Brossoit said the district is bringing in additional support staff to help students who are struggling with marijuana. Any student caught with pot on school grounds will be suspended.

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Edmonds School District sees spike in teen marijuana use