Dear Parents:
“World Cannabis Day”, also known as “4/20” is a concern for many parents and an attraction for some teens. Last year, on April 20th, thousands visited events in Vancouver and other communities along with vendors selling marijuana joints, paraphernalia, and edibles such as brownies, cakes, freezies, and other sweets. Unfortunately, minors are not excluded from these events.
Our expectation is that students attend school as always, and follow all school rules. We also do not want to youth to attend 4/20. We pass this information along so that you can have a frank conversation with your child.
Emergency Rooms often see increased visits on 4/20 from cannabis intoxication; for example, last year there were over 100 visits to the Emergency Room at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver. Half of those seen were under 23 years old. Over 75% had taken edible forms of cannabis. Edible cannabis can take several hours to have effect. Taking too much accidently is easy.
None of those who went to the emergency room needed admission to hospital. However, all of them almost certainly had distressing and unpleasant experiences.
Scientific evidence shows that cannabis can have severe and long-lasting effects on developing brains. The data is irrefutable. Even when cannabis becomes legal, there will be strict limits to access by youth. Once again, our expectation is that students attend school as always, and follow all school rules.
Thank you for cooperation
Robert Zambrano
Assistant Superintendent