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‘Medical marijuana is a first step to outright legalization’
The CNMI State Board of Education and Public School System asks that if a bill legalizing medical marijuana were passed, a five-year moratorium be put in place that would bar the outright legalization of marijuana.
In a letter to the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare, board chair Herman Guerrero said such a moratorium would give medical marijuana “a shot” to see “what effects it has on our islands before we jump to simply making it legal.”
“I think it is important to do this gradually while consistently adjusting our policy and community to the effects of such a big change,” Guerrero wrote.
The joint letter with PSS also detailed possible ramifications for students.
“As you know, we have a problem with underage use of betel nut, cigarettes, and marijuana,” the letter said. This, Guerrero wrote, is an unfortunate “plague” on the education system. Students show up high in class, leave campus to get high, and worst, sell marijuana to their fellow students on campus, Guerrero wrote.
“I know this bill only seeks to make it legal for medicinal use, but you and I well know that along with a narrow stated purpose of those who truly need marijuana for a terminal illness or severe pain, there will be those who will have prescriptions because they like smoking pot,” he said.
“This is simply the case everywhere medicinal marijuana is legal,” Guerrero claimed.
He called the bill the “first step” in making marijuana legal outright.
Noting the “hard task to motivate and engage students with little resources,” Guerrero said it will be much harder to face a chemical obstacle in addition to the systemic ones they already fight.
The letter also addressed concerns over teacher use of marijuana, saying that while PSS will maintain a zero tolerance policy for its employees, it will still be that much harder if the bill passes and marijuana is more readily available.
There is also the potential conflict with federal grants that require drug testing of teachers, PSS and BOE noted.
