Policymakers need to understand the facts and make the right moves to protect kids and their futures. They hear a lot from marijuana industry lobbyists. They also need to hear from advocates for kids.
2025 DC Briefing
On March 13, 2025, One Chance to Grow Up held high-impact briefings on Capitol Hill for Congressional members and staff. These briefings exposed the unprecedented potencies, deceptive marketing, and alarming lack of youth protections tied to today’s high-potency THC and psychoactive “hemp” products and outlined urgent actions Congress can take to address these harms.
Read more here. Check out our YouTube Page to watch the full briefing.
We’ve prioritized policy goals that are essential to protect kids.
One Chance to Grow Up 2024-2025 Policy Goals
Colorado has had to learn the hard way, as the first state to commercialize marijuana. Colorado kids have paid the price as they’re bombarded with marketing. Here are some sobering consequences that make our mission even more important.
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2016 Colorado ranks first in the nation on monthly usage by 12-17 year olds according to National Surveys on Drug Use and Health data released in December 2016 by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
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Over 1,000 marijuana stores operate in Colorado. That’s more than the number of Starbucks and McDonald’s combined.
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The financial interests behind this multi-billion dollar industry are more powerful than anyone anticipated, with more than 50 lobbyists advancing policies to increase profits just in Colorado.
Now the industry lobbying blitz has turned to other states and Congress. At the U.S. Capitol alone, the industry spent almost $25 million on lobbying in 2020 through 2024.
Here’s how you can get involved in policy in your community.
Want to know the policy for your state?
