DENVER, COLORADO— One Chance to Grow Up is stressing the need for strong youth marijuana safeguards and education after state-licensed medical marijuana was federally reclassified from Schedule I to Schedule III today.

Following the order signed by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, One Chance Executive Director Henny Lasley stated, “There has never been a greater need for robust protections for kids in marijuana policies than right now. We have learned what happens when an industry puts profits before the potential harm substances can cause to  youth. Parents and trusted adults must be educated on the harms to the developing brain along with the ultra potent commercialized products that are available for sale across the US. Kids became the canary in the coal mine for a dangerous experiment, leaving countless teens and young adults harmed and too many lessons learned after the damage was done. We’ve fought hard for the health and safety protections and there’s still so much more to be done.”

“States and federal policymakers must understand the impacts rescheduling and legalization have on the normalization among kids, who may perceive it as a wellness product,” Lasley continued. “If a substance is classified as ‘medical,’ it mistakenly gives youth the impression that there is much more scientific consensus about health benefits than exists. While this lower schedule for medical marijuana will open up more availability for research, we need to be sure any conversation about marijuana fully involves the harmful effects it can have on kids.”

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