NASBE Executive Director Kristen Amundson talks with the Associated Press about changes to school drug policies.
From Michael Felberbaum’s story:
“…But the concerns raised by school districts may not be too far-fetched.
Devices that look exactly like e-cigarettes but have a compartment that can be filled with substances like concentrated forms of marijuana are sold online and in stores across the country. In states like Colorado and Washington state, where marijuana is legal for adults over 21, stores not only sell the hash oil itself but sells it in pre-filled cartridges.
Traditional e-cigarettes also are being modified by users for use with the oil, illegal in most of the country.
Much like using an e-cigarette with liquid nicotine, the vapor — along with any odor — produced dissipates quickly. Still, some argue most people could smell the difference.
The National Association of State Boards of Education doesn’t have an official policy on e-cigarettes, but Executive Director Kristen Amundson said she believes the group would recommend that the devices be treated as tobacco products. But if a school district thinks they have a particular problem with the devices, then sending a really clear message may be a good idea, she said.
“But it is always better if school administrators use good judgment and discretion,” said Amundson, a former Virginia legislator and teacher who also served on the school board of northern Virginia’s Fairfax County. “That’s how we end up not having to hear a case of a kindergartner who brought a little paring knife to school suddenly being recommended for expulsion for bringing a weapon to school.”