0:00:03 > 0:00:05# Hits from the bong... #
0:00:07 > 0:00:11In the heart of America, there's a drug revolution under way.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13# Hits from the bong... #
0:00:13 > 0:00:16The country is battling a teenage cannabis epidemic.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18# Hits from the bong... #
0:00:18 > 0:00:22I started smoking pot when I was, like, 13.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25The White Snake is the only one I haven't tried.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28Wow! It's very strong and pungent, isn't it?
0:00:28 > 0:00:32'Now, the state of Colorado is legalising marijuana.'
0:00:32 > 0:00:33# Hits from the bong... #
0:00:33 > 0:00:36I prefer to use marijuana.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38It's less harmful to my body.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40That would be the equivalent of smoking between 12
0:00:40 > 0:00:43and 15 marijuana cigarettes per piece.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48The state of Colorado has a disease now with this marijuana thing.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52It's the most radical experiment in drugs policy for generations...
0:00:52 > 0:00:55There is a culture that very much wants the highest,
0:00:55 > 0:00:57most potent cannabis out there.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00..and what happens here could affect us all.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03It's really, you know, ignited a huge conversation worldwide.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05Kids aren't stupid.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07I mean, they're going to find it one way or another.
0:01:07 > 0:01:08I think it's a gamble with our children.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10It's a gamble with our children's lives.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30Denver, Colorado.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33Founded during a 19th century gold rush,
0:01:33 > 0:01:37this place is just about as American as you can imagine.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41Until recently, there wasn't much to mark the city out as unusual,
0:01:41 > 0:01:43apart from the beautiful Rocky Mountain scenery
0:01:43 > 0:01:45and freezing cold winters.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49The altitude here is what gives Denver its nickname,
0:01:49 > 0:01:50the Mile-High City.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53But now, there may be another reason.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59Already, there's the unmistakable aroma of marijuana smoke.
0:02:01 > 0:02:02This is Club 64.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31Club 64 is named after a new law that makes what these people
0:02:31 > 0:02:33are doing completely legal.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38Having a great time. Exercising my rights, freedom.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40So we can, you know, break out, have a good time.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43Can do a sack of weed and say, "Let's have a good toke,"
0:02:43 > 0:02:45it's a good time.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47- Colorado Chronic? - Colorado Chronic right there.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49Colorado Chronic! Look at that.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56Last November, on the same day that President Obama was re-elected
0:02:56 > 0:03:01to the White House, Colorado also voted to legalise marijuana.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06Tonight, you are part of history
0:03:06 > 0:03:13because what you are in right now is America's first legal cannabis club.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16CHEERING
0:03:16 > 0:03:18Think about that for a second.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21You can tell these stories to your grandchildren.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25They're going to say, grandma or grandpa, you know, what did you do
0:03:25 > 0:03:28- when prohibition ended? - APPLAUSE
0:03:28 > 0:03:31All right? Thank you.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36Club owner Rob Corry was a leading figure in the campaign
0:03:36 > 0:03:37to get Amendment 64 passed.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41Did you have to pinch yourself that it was real?
0:03:41 > 0:03:44- I still don't believe it. - Do you not?
0:03:44 > 0:03:47Walking around my club, watching people smoke marijuana,
0:03:47 > 0:03:50perfectly legal to do so, and me hosting this party,
0:03:50 > 0:03:52I still don't believe that it's happening.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55In a very conservative city and state.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58Very conservative. This is the Rocky Mountain West.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01This is Western cowboy individualism.
0:04:01 > 0:04:06So you see Club 64 tonight as a real landmark event?
0:04:06 > 0:04:08- A milestone? - No question. No question.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11We're doing exactly what the voters of Colorado wanted us to do.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14Would you expect there to be other clubs like this,
0:04:14 > 0:04:17other cafes and bars selling marijuana?
0:04:17 > 0:04:20Absolutely. I mean, my view is, let 1,000 flowers bloom.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36And what's extraordinary, I'm standing outside this club
0:04:36 > 0:04:40and in it is 200 or so people smoking marijuana.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44And literally a year ago, this could not have happened.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48There would be police cars all over the place, arrests being made, etc.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51And, whatever you think about an event like that,
0:04:51 > 0:04:54it is ground-breaking for such a conservative city.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13So how did Colorado pass such a radical new law
0:05:13 > 0:05:16and what affect will it have on its people?
0:05:16 > 0:05:20I'm a psychologist and for the last 25 years, I've studied addiction.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24Working with addicts, I've seen the damage that drugs can cause.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32For the rest of the world, what's happening in Colorado is like
0:05:32 > 0:05:35a giant experiment into whether legalisation is an answer
0:05:35 > 0:05:37to the problems of drug abuse.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43There is only one place to start,
0:05:43 > 0:05:45Colfax Avenue in the heart of Denver.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50More than a decade ago, Colorado legalised the sale and use
0:05:50 > 0:05:53of marijuana for medicinal purposes.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58Doctors were allowed to prescribe marijuana for a variety of ailments
0:05:58 > 0:06:01and special dispensaries opened to sell the drug.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05Now, you can find them all along Colfax Avenue.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09- Hi.- How do you do?
0:06:09 > 0:06:11Let me show you some of the products that we have,
0:06:11 > 0:06:15if you're not familiar with them at all.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17There are dozens of varieties on offer
0:06:17 > 0:06:20and it's relatively cheap at around £100 an ounce.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26Over here, there's the sort of classic array of flowers
0:06:26 > 0:06:28and buds and things, yeah.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31But there's about, I don't know, 30 different types here, at least.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33Relative to the number of strains available,
0:06:33 > 0:06:36this is just a tiny little drop.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39As the saying goes, variety is the spice of life.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42- I'll have a little sniff, if I may? - Sure, my pleasure.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44Wow! It's very strong and pungent, isn't it?
0:06:44 > 0:06:45It is. Absolutely.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50Larry, how many customers come through a day into the store?
0:06:50 > 0:06:54I would say, generally, anywhere from 35 to 50.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57I see a lot of people that are coming in for
0:06:57 > 0:07:00- some type of analgesic relief for their pain issues.- Right.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03Something other than these drugs, you know,
0:07:03 > 0:07:07like the Vicodins, Percocets, you have a lot of side effects
0:07:07 > 0:07:12from those drugs, whereas, you know, I think the biggest side effect from
0:07:12 > 0:07:18consuming marijuana, whether orally or smoking it, is to go to sleep.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20To buy marijuana here, you have to show a medical card
0:07:20 > 0:07:22from your doctor.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26That makes it legal to purchase a whopping two ounces at a time.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29That smells great. Like, kind of fruity.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31Purples normally kind of disappoint me but...
0:07:31 > 0:07:34Right. That's why... Yeah. I kind of stay away,
0:07:34 > 0:07:36but the look of that one is just awesome.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38There are now more than 100,000
0:07:38 > 0:07:42registered users in Colorado and hundreds of dispensaries.
0:07:42 > 0:07:43Is it kind of sleepy?
0:07:43 > 0:07:47I couldn't sleep and I smoked up all that. Is that a problem?
0:07:49 > 0:07:52There's medical evidence that cannabis can have some beneficial
0:07:52 > 0:07:57effects on conditions like multiple sclerosis and glaucoma.
0:07:57 > 0:07:58But many doctors here prescribe it
0:07:58 > 0:08:00for a much wider variety of ailments.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06I'd arranged to meet a young man called Chas,
0:08:06 > 0:08:09who uses medical marijuana, and his father.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12'As soon as I arrived, it was clear that Chas had an unpleasant
0:08:12 > 0:08:13'and debilitating condition.'
0:08:13 > 0:08:15Nice to meet you.
0:08:15 > 0:08:16So, what's going on?
0:08:17 > 0:08:22- You want to tell him? Chas is having an attack and...- Oh, right. OK.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26He's got a myoclonus diaphragmatic flutter, which basically,
0:08:26 > 0:08:29from here to here, his whole body goes into these spasms.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32So Chas, how are you feeling at the moment?
0:08:32 > 0:08:34Just real tense, tight.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37Right. Right.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40- Breathless and...- Choppy speech.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43Right. So you need to take your meds, is that right?
0:08:43 > 0:08:44- Yeah.- OK.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50Chas was prescribed countless conventional medicines
0:08:50 > 0:08:53for his myoclonus, taking up to 50 pills a day.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55But he says nothing worked.
0:08:56 > 0:08:57HE COUGHS
0:08:58 > 0:08:59HE COUGHS
0:08:59 > 0:09:00Just takes that.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02- So just like that?- Yeah.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05And what sort of effect have you had now?
0:09:05 > 0:09:09My body's more relaxed. It's not as tense.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13Basically, I just feel like normal, without my attack.
0:09:13 > 0:09:14It's interesting, isn't it?
0:09:14 > 0:09:19Because about a minute, if that, ago, you weren't speaking, you know,
0:09:19 > 0:09:22very... you weren't able to speak very clearly, were you?
0:09:22 > 0:09:25Like, it's all choppy and I can't really, like, get words out.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27- So you're quite transformed, aren't you?- Yeah.- Yeah.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35The use of medical marijuana is becoming increasingly common
0:09:35 > 0:09:37across the country.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40Soon it will be legal in half of all American states.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49- What's up, dude?- What's up, bro?
0:09:49 > 0:09:51Chas, there's a lot of product here on the shelves.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53Have you tried all of these?
0:09:53 > 0:09:55Yeah, pretty much all of 'em.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59I think the White Snake is the only one I haven't tried.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03The White Snake, as you said, this is a new strain.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05It's going to wake you up a little bit more.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07Hopefully, it's still going to help you with that flutter of yours
0:10:07 > 0:10:08and everything.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12Would you say Chas has become almost like a connoisseur?
0:10:12 > 0:10:14Oh, he's definitely a connoisseur, yeah!
0:10:14 > 0:10:16He was a connoisseur by the time he hit age 18!
0:10:16 > 0:10:21But he's just a regular patient, but a loyal patient at that.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23That's what really matters to us.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29So this is your legal card, your medical card.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32He shows me that number underneath his barcode.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35I write it right on there. Legal!
0:10:37 > 0:10:40It seems that marijuana can have medical benefits.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43But critics claim that the lines between medical use and
0:10:43 > 0:10:46recreational use have become increasingly blurred.
0:10:48 > 0:10:53Do you feel that some people might sort of disapprove of the sort
0:10:53 > 0:10:57of amount and type and duration of cannabis use that you've had?
0:10:57 > 0:11:01There's always going to be people that don't know, like,
0:11:01 > 0:11:04anything about what's happening to me or, like, the medication
0:11:04 > 0:11:08I'm taking, so they just look down upon it, just cos of a stigma.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10And it's pretty sad for them, you know,
0:11:10 > 0:11:13just cos they're not opening up their minds to newer
0:11:13 > 0:11:16medications that are healthier, that are making my life a lot better.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20I mean, why are you going to look down on me for what I take,
0:11:20 > 0:11:21just cos I'm sick?
0:11:23 > 0:11:27The debate about medical marijuana is now irrelevant in Colorado.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31Here, recreational use of marijuana is now legal, and from next year,
0:11:31 > 0:11:36businesses will able to sell the drug openly to anyone 21 and over.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47Marijuana is not deadly.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50If those people want to use marijuana as a safe alternative
0:11:50 > 0:11:52to alcohol, why would we not let them?
0:11:52 > 0:11:56Mason Tvert led the victorious campaign for legalisation.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01The people of Colorado clearly are more evolved
0:12:01 > 0:12:02when it comes to this issue.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06So you won by a ten-point margin, which is a huge win.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10I mean, were you shocked and surprised at the scale of the win?
0:12:10 > 0:12:14We ended up winning so dramatically
0:12:14 > 0:12:17as a result of the groundwork that's been done here in the state over the
0:12:17 > 0:12:21last eight years, to change people's opinions about marijuana, get
0:12:21 > 0:12:25them thinking about it differently, getting them talking to each other.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28Then we also... We've been fortunate enough to have one of the most
0:12:28 > 0:12:32effective systems for medical marijuana in the state of Colorado.
0:12:32 > 0:12:33People got to see these.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37They got to see that it was possible to have these businesses,
0:12:37 > 0:12:38to regulate them.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41So, you know, people in Colorado didn't have to
0:12:41 > 0:12:44imagine as much as they might in other states.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48'Across America, the legalisation lobby is highly organised and
0:12:48 > 0:12:50'extremely well funded.'
0:12:50 > 0:12:51So, I understand that you spent
0:12:51 > 0:12:56about 2 million on your campaign, which was a lot more,
0:12:56 > 0:13:00four times more, I think, than the opponents to Amendment 64.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03You know, opponents to making marijuana legal
0:13:03 > 0:13:05have an 80-year head start.
0:13:05 > 0:13:09You know, these guys have had 80 plus years to fill people's
0:13:09 > 0:13:11heads with their propaganda.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15We had 2 million to, over the course of, you know,
0:13:15 > 0:13:18a year-and-a-half, get people to actually hear a lot of the facts.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21I'm quite interested to see some of the things you used.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23I mean, could you show me some of the commercials?
0:13:23 > 0:13:28Yeah, absolutely. I've got a couple here I'm happy to show you,
0:13:28 > 0:13:32and these really addressed a couple of the major issues that we
0:13:32 > 0:13:34brought up during the campaign.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37'This was a professional marketing campaign that used slick
0:13:37 > 0:13:39'TV adverts and billboards to get the message across.'
0:13:39 > 0:13:44- ADVERT:- 'Dear Mum, when I was in college, I used to drink a lot.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46'It was kind of crazy.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50'But now that I'm older, I prefer to use marijuana.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52'It's less harmful to my body.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54'I don't get hungover and honestly,
0:13:54 > 0:13:56'I feel safer around marijuana users.'
0:13:58 > 0:14:01And so, you can see that the goal here was really to get
0:14:01 > 0:14:03people thinking about, you know,
0:14:03 > 0:14:07just because someone uses marijuana, doesn't mean they're a bad person.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10It means that, just like someone might like to have a cocktail after
0:14:10 > 0:14:13work or they might like to have a glass of wine with dinner, some
0:14:13 > 0:14:17people enjoy using marijuana, and it's just not that big of a deal.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19'The campaign also claimed that
0:14:19 > 0:14:21'legalisation would have economic benefits.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25'Taxing growers and consumers could provide millions of dollars
0:14:25 > 0:14:28'of revenue for the cash-strapped state government.'
0:14:28 > 0:14:32- ADVERT:- 'If we pass Amendment 64, Colorado businesses would profit
0:14:32 > 0:14:35and tax revenues would pay for public services
0:14:35 > 0:14:37and the reconstruction of our schools.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40Let's vote for the good guys and against the bad guys.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42That's a bottom line, isn't it, to say,
0:14:42 > 0:14:45"Look, we can have revenue for schools"?
0:14:45 > 0:14:46It's kind of a no-brainer.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50Do we want it to be sold by criminals
0:14:50 > 0:14:52and have the money go towards cartels or gangs,
0:14:52 > 0:14:55or do we want it to be sold by legitimate businesses?
0:14:55 > 0:14:59All right. So you ran a very successful campaign here.
0:14:59 > 0:15:00Where are you taking things to now?
0:15:00 > 0:15:03One of the most important things to come out of the victory
0:15:03 > 0:15:06here in Colorado, as well as in Washington State this last election,
0:15:06 > 0:15:09is the level of discussion it has forced in this country,
0:15:09 > 0:15:12and around the world, about marijuana policy. I mean, we've seen,
0:15:12 > 0:15:14not just state and local law-makers coming out,
0:15:14 > 0:15:17saying they're going to bring forward legislation this year.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19We've seen members of Congress, who have never really
0:15:19 > 0:15:22talked about this issue, coming out, saying that they want to address it.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25And we've even seen some leaders of foreign countries, particularly
0:15:25 > 0:15:28Mexico, Central Americas, coming out and saying, "Well, hey, you know,
0:15:28 > 0:15:31"if the United States is revisiting this, we want to revisit this, too."
0:15:31 > 0:15:34It's really, you know, ignited a huge conversation worldwide.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44The most controversial aspect of the debate is the impact
0:15:44 > 0:15:47legalisation will have on young people.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49BELL RINGS
0:15:58 > 0:16:01In the heart of the city, East High is one of Denver's oldest
0:16:01 > 0:16:03and most prestigious schools.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11With a great academic and sporting record, it's been recognised
0:16:11 > 0:16:13as one of the best state schools in the country.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16But this is a school with a cannabis problem.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18Jann Peterson is the deputy principal.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21Jann, can you give me an idea of the numbers of sort of
0:16:21 > 0:16:25incidents each year that are cannabis related?
0:16:25 > 0:16:29So back in 2009, 2010,
0:16:29 > 0:16:34I believe we had approximately 51 drug violations
0:16:34 > 0:16:38that would be under marijuana.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41In the 2010, 2011 school year,
0:16:41 > 0:16:45our offences went up to 141.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47Gosh! That's quite a huge increase, isn't it?
0:16:47 > 0:16:49It's frightening. It's frightening.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51Do you put it down to anything in particular?
0:16:51 > 0:16:55We believe it's directly related to an explosion
0:16:55 > 0:16:58of medical marijuana dispensaries in the city.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01Tell me about why that is because these dispensaries,
0:17:01 > 0:17:04they're not there to sell to minors, are they?
0:17:04 > 0:17:11No, they're not, but we know that children, teenagers, young adults,
0:17:11 > 0:17:17will try a variety of ways to get their hands on substances,
0:17:17 > 0:17:20pretty much like they did for alcohol.
0:17:20 > 0:17:25And when I look at our alcohol rates, they have not changed,
0:17:25 > 0:17:29they've remained flat and steady, but there is a definite,
0:17:29 > 0:17:33dramatic increase with the involvement of marijuana.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37Supporters of legalisation claim that in states where
0:17:37 > 0:17:40medical marijuana is legal, teenage use has gone down.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43But the statistics are hotly disputed.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47- Hey.- Hi. - Rick?- Officer Rick Hill.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49- I'm John.- Nice to meet you.- And you.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53My day-to-day responsibility is to East High School.
0:17:53 > 0:17:58I basically deal with all the criminal issues that come up inside
0:17:58 > 0:18:03a school setting, just like they would outside of a school setting.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05Drugs, alcohol,
0:18:05 > 0:18:10anything that would require a police officer to take action.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14Do you think some of the kids, over their lunch break, would go out and buy marijuana?
0:18:14 > 0:18:16They could, absolutely.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18And where would they buy it from,
0:18:18 > 0:18:20from a shop or a street dealer?
0:18:20 > 0:18:24I'm sure they'd buy it from a street dealer but anything is possible.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27Right. This is one of the alleyways that you would patrol up and down?
0:18:27 > 0:18:31Absolutely. We've caught students on several occasions,
0:18:31 > 0:18:36students smoking marijuana in the alleyways right there.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39They like to find secluded areas
0:18:39 > 0:18:43where they hope that the police will not find them.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45This is a gas station, isn't it,
0:18:45 > 0:18:50with quite a few people standing around, hanging outside?
0:18:50 > 0:18:51They sell papers, I believe.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53What, papers for rolling joints?
0:18:53 > 0:18:54Yes.
0:18:54 > 0:18:58Lunchtime's about wrapping up, so everyone's making their way back.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05In Britain and most of Europe,
0:19:05 > 0:19:08cannabis use among teenagers has declined slightly.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14It's a different story in America,
0:19:14 > 0:19:17where the number of teenagers who say they've used marijuana
0:19:17 > 0:19:21in the previous month has grown by nearly 20% in the past five years.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27And Denver has the second highest usage in the whole country.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37In American teen culture, smoking cannabis has gone mainstream.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42What you do is you light all three ends at the same time.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46- Really? - And then the smoke converges,
0:19:46 > 0:19:49creating a trifactor of joint smoking power.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52Young people smoke openly in Hollywood movies,
0:19:52 > 0:19:55and stoners are often seen as comic heroes.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03HE COUGHS AND SPLUTTERS
0:20:04 > 0:20:05Aarghh!
0:20:06 > 0:20:08HE COUGHS AND SPLUTTERS
0:20:08 > 0:20:10- I'm going to do it.- Right, go for it!
0:20:13 > 0:20:18Ian McDonald and Katy Leonard are A grade students at East High.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25Can you both give me a sense of how marijuana
0:20:25 > 0:20:29figures in the sort of leisure activities of the students here?
0:20:29 > 0:20:31It's pretty big here.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34You go to any party, and someone's always lighting up,
0:20:34 > 0:20:37right then and there. And even at school, it's pretty big here.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40Even when you're supposed to be learning, people are still smoking.
0:20:40 > 0:20:41People come to class high.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43It's a pretty common occurrence here.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45Like, feeling high is just like feeling normal.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47And let's see if we can put a figure on this.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50If I said, what do you think would be the percentage
0:20:50 > 0:20:56of the student body here that uses, say, regularly, say weekly?
0:20:56 > 0:21:0125-30%. And then, like, maybe about 50% have used it,
0:21:01 > 0:21:03like, more than once.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05But both of you have used.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09Do you consider that cannabis, marijuana, is a drug?
0:21:09 > 0:21:11It's like hard to, like, think about me...
0:21:11 > 0:21:13like to smoke marijuana, as a drug user, but it's, like...
0:21:13 > 0:21:17cos with smoking, like marijuana is, like, about smoking a cigarette.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20We don't really consider it a drug problem.
0:21:20 > 0:21:21It's not like being drunk.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24For some reason, it's just more acceptable to us
0:21:24 > 0:21:28or to our community than being drunk at school.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36Most teenagers assume that cannabis is pretty harmless.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40Research into the effects of marijuana is sparse
0:21:40 > 0:21:43and sometimes contradictory.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46Some studies suggest it may be less damaging than alcohol.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51But last year, the results were published of a 38-year study
0:21:51 > 0:21:53carried out in New Zealand.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00'I went to Colorado University to meet leading researcher
0:22:00 > 0:22:03'Dr Paula Riggs, who is worried by its findings.'
0:22:03 > 0:22:05Paula. Hi.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07- John.- I'm John. - Hey, John. Good to meet you.
0:22:07 > 0:22:08Nice to meet you.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13'Paula is a psychiatrist who works with young addicts.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16'She believes that drug taking in young people has long-term effects.
0:22:17 > 0:22:22In as simple terms as you can, a young person that is
0:22:22 > 0:22:27beginning to use marijuana on a regular basis, at a time
0:22:27 > 0:22:30when their brain is really going into that sort of
0:22:30 > 0:22:33expansion phase and developing and consolidating,
0:22:33 > 0:22:36what is this drug doing to their brain?
0:22:36 > 0:22:38The activities that you're predominantly involved in
0:22:38 > 0:22:43in adolescence matters because it shapes the way your brain develops.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45If you're predominantly hanging out,
0:22:45 > 0:22:47doing activities that are involved in drug use,
0:22:47 > 0:22:49hanging out with peers, doing that
0:22:49 > 0:22:51as opposed to doing math or whatever, it shapes the way...
0:22:51 > 0:22:55which circuits go and which circuits are reinforced.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58So, if you're using marijuana, that interferes with
0:22:58 > 0:23:03development of certain neural pathways or executive functioning, your frontal lobes.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06That's what's happening during adolescence.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08'The New Zealand study looked at the long-term effects
0:23:08 > 0:23:12'of heavy and sustained cannabis use among teenagers.'
0:23:12 > 0:23:14The take-home message from this study -
0:23:14 > 0:23:17reductions in IQ, from childhood into adulthood,
0:23:17 > 0:23:21in these heavy cannabis users during adolescent development.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23And significant drops in IQ?
0:23:23 > 0:23:27Yeah. Referring to the six-to-eight point reductions in IQ,
0:23:27 > 0:23:30- that's quite significant.- Wow.
0:23:30 > 0:23:31- Does it matter?- Does it matter?
0:23:31 > 0:23:34Chronic regular cannabis users during adolescence,
0:23:34 > 0:23:38they have low underemployment, greater unemployment,
0:23:38 > 0:23:42lower academic achievement and yeah, it plays out in your life.
0:23:42 > 0:23:46You know, John, if there was something else, I don't know,
0:23:46 > 0:23:49in the air, in the water, wherever,
0:23:49 > 0:23:52that cut six-to-eight points off our kids' IQ
0:23:52 > 0:23:55and caused persistent neurocognitive deficits
0:23:55 > 0:23:59and maybe impacting their ability to achieve in life...
0:23:59 > 0:24:03We'd be all over that. That would be big public health news.
0:24:03 > 0:24:07That's why we're working so hard to try to get this message out.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11What the science shows is this is not a benign drug.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15What I've taken away from that is that there is now
0:24:15 > 0:24:19pretty strong evidence that using marijuana at a young age
0:24:19 > 0:24:22and then developing quite quickly a habit that may be,
0:24:22 > 0:24:23say, daily consumption,
0:24:23 > 0:24:26causes lasting problems for neurocognitive function,
0:24:26 > 0:24:30the way we think, and that's a really sobering message.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35So, how do you keep cannabis out of the hands of young people?
0:24:40 > 0:24:43It's argued that legalisation will take the supply of the drug
0:24:43 > 0:24:46out of the hands of criminal dealers.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50Instead, marijuana will be sold by regulated growers and retailers
0:24:50 > 0:24:53who will be banned from selling it to kids.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00- Hello.- Oh, hi. Dan?- Hi.- I'm John. - John. Dan.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03- Nice to meet you.- Nice to me you. Come on in.- Thank you.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06- Welcome.- Can I take my coat off? - Yes. Please.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08- It's lovely and warm in here. - It is awfully warm.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10We try to keep it at a constant temperature.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13So, this is the HQ for the operation?
0:25:13 > 0:25:16This is our largest production facility.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20What you see here in front of us is what we call the vegetative area.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23This is where we allow the plant to grow and mature
0:25:23 > 0:25:25and to start to strengthen.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29And then once we get to the size that we want,
0:25:29 > 0:25:32we move them into these flowering rooms.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36Both of these rooms operate on a 12-hour schedule
0:25:36 > 0:25:38- of light and darkness.- Right.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41It forces them to start flowering.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44- It starts to produce the medicinal qualities of the plant.- Right.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46- Which is what you're after?- Uh-hm.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48'Dan Rogers runs Greenworks
0:25:48 > 0:25:51'and for the last four years,
0:25:51 > 0:25:54'he's been a registered supplier of medical marijuana.'
0:25:54 > 0:25:57This is the flower room with the light currently on,
0:25:57 > 0:26:00- so if you want to go ahead and go in.- Thank you.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02And if you want to walk down one of the rows,
0:26:02 > 0:26:05I'll show you some of the unique things that you see,
0:26:05 > 0:26:09- like, you know, sizes such as that. - This is a monster, isn't it?
0:26:09 > 0:26:13Yeah, that's what I would consider pretty big.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15You don't see a lot of product get to that size
0:26:15 > 0:26:18and then something like this, that's beginning to fall over.
0:26:18 > 0:26:22And if you look in really close, you can see the trichomes
0:26:22 > 0:26:27and the crystals and that's really the THC content in the plant.
0:26:27 > 0:26:32So, that's really the piece of the plant that is the most valuable.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36THC is tetrahydrocannabinol,
0:26:36 > 0:26:39the main chemical in cannabis that gets you high.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43So, all of your productions process
0:26:43 > 0:26:47is really centred on getting as much of this as possible?
0:26:47 > 0:26:50Yeah, absolutely. There is a culture that very much
0:26:50 > 0:26:53wants the highest, most potent cannabis out there
0:26:53 > 0:26:56and if you have something that's 28% THC,
0:26:56 > 0:26:59they're going to drive hours to buy it.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02In a country suffering tough economic times,
0:27:02 > 0:27:04cannabis is a promising business opportunity.
0:27:04 > 0:27:08I was in banking for 12 to 13 years,
0:27:08 > 0:27:13working for one of the largest banks in the US
0:27:13 > 0:27:18and I was actually looking to buy a recession-proof business.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22So, what I'm hearing is a businessman
0:27:22 > 0:27:24but a businessman that has a belief
0:27:24 > 0:27:27- in the sort of medicinal production values.- I do. Absolutely.
0:27:27 > 0:27:31So, would you be interested in manufacturing for recreational use?
0:27:31 > 0:27:32I believe that we should do both.
0:27:32 > 0:27:37We're currently and actively looking to expand our production facility
0:27:37 > 0:27:39to meet future demand.
0:27:41 > 0:27:46Right now, we operate about 10,000 total square feet of production.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50I think, I would like to see that move up to 25,000 square feet.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54Would you? So, is there a sense that you might not be able to keep apace
0:27:54 > 0:27:56with demand going forwards?
0:27:56 > 0:28:00In my opinion, once Amendment 64 becomes fully effective
0:28:00 > 0:28:05in January of 2014 and anyone over the age of 21 is allowed to purchase
0:28:05 > 0:28:07up to an ounce of cannabis,
0:28:07 > 0:28:11I see and expect a shortage in supply.
0:28:11 > 0:28:15So, you're comfortable with people saying,
0:28:15 > 0:28:20"I want to buy your product purely to put my feet up on the sofa,
0:28:20 > 0:28:23"play my Xbox, listen to music, have a party."
0:28:23 > 0:28:26Yes, you know, just as much as I'm comfortable with someone
0:28:26 > 0:28:29saying that about having an alcoholic beverage.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33Dan is just one of dozens of growers across the state
0:28:33 > 0:28:35planning to increase production.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40No-one quite knows what effect this increase in supply
0:28:40 > 0:28:42will have on the people of Colorado.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50Families across the US are already coming to terms
0:28:50 > 0:28:52with widespread teenage cannabis use.
0:28:57 > 0:28:59I hit the road and drove the 100 miles
0:28:59 > 0:29:01to the city of Colorado Springs.
0:29:04 > 0:29:08I'm off to see Lynette and Dan and their son Jared today.
0:29:08 > 0:29:11Jared is a marijuana smoker, so it's a great opportunity for me
0:29:11 > 0:29:15to talk to his parents who are worried about his consumption,
0:29:15 > 0:29:19but also a great opportunity to sit down and talk to him.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30Who's the fella in the cage?
0:29:30 > 0:29:33Scratch, my iguana. I got him this Christmas.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37So, tell me about your relationship with marijuana now.
0:29:37 > 0:29:39How often are you using?
0:29:39 > 0:29:41I'd say it's mainly a daily thing,
0:29:41 > 0:29:45as if someone were to buy a pack of cigarettes, or liquor every night.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49I feel like it doesn't really change me in any way.
0:29:49 > 0:29:52I feel like it's just an activity that I like doing
0:29:52 > 0:29:56and it just makes things a little bit more fun.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59Do you think your marijuana use has changed over, say,
0:29:59 > 0:30:01the last two or three years?
0:30:01 > 0:30:03The more I use it, the more I kind of support it
0:30:03 > 0:30:08cos I feel it doesn't really have any terrible harmful effects
0:30:08 > 0:30:10compared to other things that are legal.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13Jared has tried just about every type of cannabis
0:30:13 > 0:30:16since he began smoking at the age of 15.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19So, how did you find out information about these different forms?
0:30:19 > 0:30:21My friend went to a dispensary,
0:30:21 > 0:30:25kind of got information on that stuff, how they tested it
0:30:25 > 0:30:29and stuff like that and found out what it basically does.
0:30:29 > 0:30:32Was he buying it, when he went to the dispensary,
0:30:32 > 0:30:34for a medical condition?
0:30:34 > 0:30:38Oh, yeah. He had chronic back pain that he gets from...
0:30:38 > 0:30:40passed down from his family.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43And did he choose or select from different types
0:30:43 > 0:30:46and found one that was very good for chronic pain?
0:30:46 > 0:30:49He, basically, just likes trying new things,
0:30:49 > 0:30:53so he'd find something that's pretty popular that week and get that
0:30:53 > 0:30:57and then usually say either, "Wow. This is really good,"
0:30:57 > 0:31:01or, "This isn't as good as last week," or something like that.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04That's usually how he finds out the best stuff.
0:31:04 > 0:31:08And I kind of took note of that and wanted to try things to see
0:31:08 > 0:31:12if it was right and if it was any good, if I liked it or not.
0:31:17 > 0:31:19- Hi, guys.- Hi!- Dan.
0:31:19 > 0:31:22Hey, we're just brewing some coffee. Do you want a cup of coffee?
0:31:22 > 0:31:24That would be great.
0:31:25 > 0:31:27'Lynette and Dan are Jared's parents.'
0:31:29 > 0:31:32Tell me, I suppose, about your current feelings
0:31:32 > 0:31:34about his marijuana use.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38Well, it's been an issue for quite some time.
0:31:38 > 0:31:40We've never really allowed it in our home.
0:31:40 > 0:31:42So, would he like to smoke indoors?
0:31:42 > 0:31:45It won't happen. Not in our house.
0:31:45 > 0:31:49I'm still the king of my castle and I will, you know...
0:31:49 > 0:31:53He will want to find another place to live if he does
0:31:53 > 0:31:56or I catch him and I can't watch him 24/7,
0:31:56 > 0:31:59so I can't be around him all the time.
0:31:59 > 0:32:03But, you know, I take the opportunity when I can
0:32:03 > 0:32:07to talk to him about his choices
0:32:07 > 0:32:11and the choices that he makes and how it can affect his life.
0:32:11 > 0:32:17Do you think marijuana has had an influence on changing him?
0:32:17 > 0:32:20There have been times that we haven't even been able
0:32:20 > 0:32:25to talk to him, you know, because he's so...angry.
0:32:25 > 0:32:27To me, he seems angry.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30One instance, I had to hold him physically down
0:32:30 > 0:32:33- because he was coming at me.- Wow. - And I said,
0:32:33 > 0:32:35"What are you doing? Oh, my gosh.
0:32:35 > 0:32:37"Where is that little boy?"
0:32:39 > 0:32:44I feel like when parents over freak out about it
0:32:44 > 0:32:50or something like that, I feel like that pressures the kid to do more
0:32:50 > 0:32:53of what their parent doesn't want them to do
0:32:53 > 0:32:58and I think that could be another cause of the gateway effect,
0:32:58 > 0:33:03leading to other drugs, so that the teenager feels the satisfaction
0:33:03 > 0:33:06of not doing what their parents want.
0:33:09 > 0:33:14Jared turned 18 just after Amendment 64 was passed legalising cannabis.
0:33:16 > 0:33:19I felt like my state had let me down.
0:33:19 > 0:33:22- Did you?- Yes, I was like, "We've got to move."
0:33:22 > 0:33:23That was my first words out of my mouth.
0:33:23 > 0:33:25So, what thought did you have?
0:33:25 > 0:33:30"I can't believe that they have done this to my family."
0:33:30 > 0:33:32I think it's a gamble with our children,
0:33:32 > 0:33:36to gamble with our children's lives and it's not just the adults,
0:33:36 > 0:33:39the 21-year-olds, who are allowed to smoke it.
0:33:39 > 0:33:42I think that just makes it all that more acceptable
0:33:42 > 0:33:46so that the younger kids are going to say, "Well, it's OK.
0:33:46 > 0:33:47"It's not bad for you."
0:33:50 > 0:33:53Great to meet you all. OK. Thanks again.
0:33:53 > 0:33:56- Thanks again. Jared. Pleasure. Catch up soon, yeah?- Yes.
0:33:56 > 0:33:57OK. Cheers then. Bye-bye.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07But not all families are opposed to legalisation.
0:34:09 > 0:34:11I've been invited for a drink with some of the parents
0:34:11 > 0:34:13who campaigned for Amendment 64.
0:34:14 > 0:34:18What were the sort of arguments that you were putting forward
0:34:18 > 0:34:20in the campaign that said that people should vote
0:34:20 > 0:34:22for this amendment?
0:34:23 > 0:34:27For me, it comes down to making it safer for the society,
0:34:27 > 0:34:31for the general public. To take marijuana out of the streets,
0:34:31 > 0:34:35from the dealer's hands, put it behind a counter in a store front,
0:34:35 > 0:34:37that's all they do,
0:34:37 > 0:34:43and have it controlled where anyone coming in is 21 or older. Period.
0:34:43 > 0:34:47I don't think we're sitting here saying, "Oh, you know, every person
0:34:47 > 0:34:49"should go out and smoke pot." I mean, that's not...
0:34:49 > 0:34:51We need to look at things in a different way
0:34:51 > 0:34:54and we want to look at regulation and see what happens.
0:34:54 > 0:34:57We did medical marijuana, the sky didn't fall out,
0:34:57 > 0:34:59things stayed the same.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02Let's continue with this because something is working.
0:35:02 > 0:35:04It's interesting talking to you because
0:35:04 > 0:35:07the first thing that people think about
0:35:07 > 0:35:10when they think about parents and drugs
0:35:10 > 0:35:15is a group of people that are going to be absolutely against it
0:35:15 > 0:35:20because they're going to be fearful of the future for their kinds.
0:35:20 > 0:35:23- Kids aren't stupid.- Yeah. I mean, they're going to find it one way or another.
0:35:23 > 0:35:26Yeah. You still have to give them all the information
0:35:26 > 0:35:28and you have raise them in a way
0:35:28 > 0:35:30that they're going to make the best choice.
0:35:30 > 0:35:33Sex, drugs - probably the two hardest conversations
0:35:33 > 0:35:35you can have with your child.
0:35:35 > 0:35:39But they're conversations that a parent has to have.
0:35:39 > 0:35:42You know, talk about it. That's really the key to it. Open up.
0:35:42 > 0:35:44Let's run the clock forward now
0:35:44 > 0:35:49and all of your kids are now fully grown-up.
0:35:49 > 0:35:53Do you think they'll say to you, "We're actually really glad
0:35:53 > 0:35:55"you voted for this"?
0:35:55 > 0:35:57Oh, absolutely. Without a doubt.
0:35:57 > 0:36:01I mean, what are going to be the consequences?
0:36:01 > 0:36:06We have more tax dollars coming in. We have education.
0:36:06 > 0:36:10My hope is that when they come of age and become adults,
0:36:10 > 0:36:13and especially parents on their own,
0:36:13 > 0:36:17that they'll see the value of the work that I've been a part of,
0:36:17 > 0:36:18that we've done together.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24'Those in favour of legalisation have a clear vision
0:36:24 > 0:36:25'of what it should mean -
0:36:25 > 0:36:29'A controlled and regulated industry, much like alcohol.'
0:36:36 > 0:36:40But on the streets of Denver, things aren't so clear cut.
0:36:40 > 0:36:44Sergeant Jim Gerhardt is one of Colorado's most experienced
0:36:44 > 0:36:46narcotics cops.
0:36:46 > 0:36:50It was difficult to know where all of the lines
0:36:50 > 0:36:53and boundaries were just with medical marijuana.
0:36:53 > 0:36:56When the citizens voted for this Amendment 64
0:36:56 > 0:36:58that passed in November,
0:36:58 > 0:37:02it became much more difficult to find the line.
0:37:02 > 0:37:05The medical marijuana law allows people to grow
0:37:05 > 0:37:07a limited amount at home.
0:37:07 > 0:37:12It gets very complicated. A person over 21 can only have six plants,
0:37:12 > 0:37:15unless you're helping another person who's over 21
0:37:15 > 0:37:17and there's no limit on how many people you can help
0:37:17 > 0:37:20that are over 21. This will be the loophole.
0:37:21 > 0:37:25Everything that we believe will happen, our basis for thinking
0:37:25 > 0:37:30that it's going to happen, is our evaluation of medical marijuana
0:37:30 > 0:37:32because people didn't abide by the limits.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34They're diverting marijuana to kids.
0:37:34 > 0:37:36They're diverting it into the community.
0:37:36 > 0:37:38They're even sending it to other states.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41What we've done is made a haven for people to grow and produce
0:37:41 > 0:37:43and then ultimately sell this stuff.
0:37:45 > 0:37:49The confusion over the cultivation, selling and use of marijuana
0:37:49 > 0:37:51reaches almost farcical proportions
0:37:51 > 0:37:54when you realise that under US federal laws
0:37:54 > 0:37:56governing the whole country,
0:37:56 > 0:38:01any possession of marijuana, even for medical use, is still illegal.
0:38:01 > 0:38:05And as if to illustrate the chaos, Jim and his team answered a call
0:38:05 > 0:38:08from a member of the public complaining their neighbour
0:38:08 > 0:38:10was growing marijuana illegally.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13- How are you doing, sir?- Yes?
0:38:13 > 0:38:16We've got some information there might be
0:38:16 > 0:38:19marijuana growing inside your house.
0:38:19 > 0:38:21So, you got anything like that going on?
0:38:21 > 0:38:24We need to just check and make sure you're in compliance
0:38:24 > 0:38:29- with all the new laws if you do have that.- I do have 24 plants...
0:38:29 > 0:38:32- minus six and my grandson has six more.- OK.
0:38:32 > 0:38:34So, you guys have medical cards?
0:38:34 > 0:38:37I actually have all their cards,
0:38:37 > 0:38:42- but you're more than welcome to look, gentlemen.- OK. We appreciate that.- You're welcome to look.
0:38:42 > 0:38:45The man had a sizeable number of marijuana plants in his house.
0:38:45 > 0:38:49He said he was growing them legally on behalf of his relatives.
0:38:49 > 0:38:51When she gets here, would you do me a favour and determine
0:38:51 > 0:38:53if he is actually doing something or not?
0:38:53 > 0:38:57Cos if he's not, I'm going to have patrol take him for cultivation.
0:38:57 > 0:39:01The man didn't want to be filmed but he agreed to speak to me.
0:39:01 > 0:39:07Are you aware that if you grow more than the law says you can,
0:39:07 > 0:39:11- that these guys could arrest you? - Oh, yes. I'm in the law. Yes.
0:39:13 > 0:39:17So, is this, in a very small way, part of the confusion here?
0:39:17 > 0:39:20I wouldn't say it's in a small way. I'd say you're seeing exactly
0:39:20 > 0:39:22what all the problems are. This is the confusion.
0:39:22 > 0:39:24How many plants can he have?
0:39:24 > 0:39:27Under which amendment is he allowed to have them?
0:39:27 > 0:39:30Under what exemption? Under what circumstances?
0:39:30 > 0:39:34It's a confusion for him, it's a confusion for us...
0:39:34 > 0:39:38- and that's what's so difficult about this. It's just crazy.- Right.
0:39:40 > 0:39:42After two hours and with night falling,
0:39:42 > 0:39:45the man was eventually cautioned for being in technical violation
0:39:45 > 0:39:49of Colorado's marijuana cultivation laws.
0:39:49 > 0:39:51You know what, I really don't need it?
0:39:51 > 0:39:54- I don't blame you. - I really don't need it.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58Jim, what do your colleagues think from other states?
0:39:58 > 0:40:01I mean, do they think Colorado's gone completely nutty?
0:40:01 > 0:40:03Oh, yes. They think we've lost our minds here
0:40:03 > 0:40:04and I don't often dispute that.
0:40:04 > 0:40:08I think we have done something that is crazy.
0:40:08 > 0:40:11We are going to be continuing to embrace marijuana use
0:40:11 > 0:40:14and then with that will go hand-in-hand
0:40:14 > 0:40:16a lot of other drug use
0:40:16 > 0:40:19that people will become more and more desensitised to.
0:40:19 > 0:40:23Then I think we're going to start to see clear evidence
0:40:23 > 0:40:27of all the problems. I think we're really going to understand
0:40:27 > 0:40:30the impact to neighbourhoods, to families, to kids.
0:40:30 > 0:40:33Probably like tobacco and alcohol, we will regret the fact
0:40:33 > 0:40:37that we ever, ever went down the path to allow these things to be
0:40:37 > 0:40:40as free, as open and as common as they are
0:40:40 > 0:40:42and as accepted as they are.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47But criminalising cannabis has hardly been a success either.
0:40:50 > 0:40:52In America, cannabis is the biggest reason for kids
0:40:52 > 0:40:55entering residential drug-treatment programmes.
0:40:55 > 0:40:59More than alcohol, cocaine, ecstasy and all other drugs combined.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03The number of admissions to these programmes has gone up
0:41:03 > 0:41:06by more than 200% since the mid-1990s.
0:41:15 > 0:41:19Fire Mountain is a drug treatment centre outside Denver,
0:41:19 > 0:41:23in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26Nearly all the kids who come here have been heavy marijuana users.
0:41:29 > 0:41:31- Hi, Aaron?- Yes.- I'm John.
0:41:31 > 0:41:34- John, nice to meet you.- And you. Good morning, sir.- Welcome.
0:41:34 > 0:41:36- Thank you very much. Nice to be here.- I'm glad you're here.
0:41:36 > 0:41:39Let me introduce you to some of the boys.
0:41:39 > 0:41:41- I'm Alex.- Alex, nice to meet you.
0:41:41 > 0:41:45'Kids come here when pretty much every other therapy has failed.'
0:41:46 > 0:41:49Can I ask you, how long have you guys been here? Claire?
0:41:49 > 0:41:52- Two months.- Two months? How have you found it?
0:41:52 > 0:41:55- Good. I like it.- And Alex, how long have you been here?
0:41:55 > 0:41:56I've been here about a month.
0:41:56 > 0:41:59It is hard for the first two or three weeks,
0:41:59 > 0:42:00but you kind of get used to it.
0:42:00 > 0:42:02Caylib, how long have you been here?
0:42:02 > 0:42:05Nine months, I think.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08- Nine months? Gosh.- Altogether, like.
0:42:08 > 0:42:12So, have you stayed for a while and then gone? Left and come back?
0:42:12 > 0:42:14I went home and then I came back.
0:42:15 > 0:42:19'The average for American teenagers to start smoking cannabis
0:42:19 > 0:42:23'is getting lower. Caylib started two years aged just 13.'
0:42:23 > 0:42:26Caylib, how did you sort of end up here?
0:42:26 > 0:42:31I started smoking pot when I was, like, 13.
0:42:31 > 0:42:36Then I started, like, breaking into cars and...
0:42:38 > 0:42:39..just doing things...
0:42:41 > 0:42:45..doing, like, bad things so I could get drugs.
0:42:45 > 0:42:47Back then, how often were you using?
0:42:47 > 0:42:50- Like, once a week.- Right. - And then three times a week
0:42:50 > 0:42:56and then every day. All I could see was me smoking weed.
0:42:56 > 0:43:00- It got quite bad for you, did it? - Yeah. Pretty bad.
0:43:03 > 0:43:07Over here's our organic garden. Watch out for the ice here.
0:43:07 > 0:43:09We're still in the shade.
0:43:09 > 0:43:11'Aaron Huey who runs this programme
0:43:11 > 0:43:14'is himself a former marijuana addict.'
0:43:14 > 0:43:17The majority of our clients are 14 or 15-years-old and these are kids
0:43:17 > 0:43:21who are using marijuana four-to-seven times a day.
0:43:21 > 0:43:24In school, around their house,
0:43:24 > 0:43:27hiding it from their family, being high in front of their families.
0:43:27 > 0:43:31We see dependency happening so much faster now
0:43:31 > 0:43:33because of the strength of marijuana.
0:43:33 > 0:43:36I mean, if you think about it, what these kids are smoking
0:43:36 > 0:43:40five-to-seven times a day, the THC level is off the chart.
0:43:40 > 0:43:41These kids are wrecked for the day.
0:43:41 > 0:43:44So, tell me about the structure and the methods that you use here.
0:43:44 > 0:43:46First phase is sobriety.
0:43:46 > 0:43:47Lasts about a month, a month-and-a-half.
0:43:47 > 0:43:50We just want them to get in and stop the behaviours
0:43:50 > 0:43:52that have led them here.
0:43:52 > 0:43:55So, after that they're in phase two which is the emotional growth phase.
0:43:55 > 0:43:58That's really when the drugs are totally out of their system,
0:43:58 > 0:44:01especially THC. It takes about 30 days to get it all out of your system.
0:44:01 > 0:44:04So, that's where we really get to meet the person
0:44:04 > 0:44:06that the parents called us about.
0:44:06 > 0:44:09The third phase is integration and that's where we really get
0:44:09 > 0:44:11everything focused on going back home.
0:44:11 > 0:44:14So, somewhere around the fourth month.
0:44:14 > 0:44:18And everything they do is about what they're going to do when they leave.
0:44:18 > 0:44:20So awareness...
0:44:20 > 0:44:24'The kids are encouraged to learn from each other's experiences.'
0:44:24 > 0:44:28This is a word that I have questions about.
0:44:28 > 0:44:32The idea of you not being able to stop.
0:44:32 > 0:44:36"I can't stop." That you can't stop using drugs.
0:44:36 > 0:44:37And my question is, "Can he?"
0:44:37 > 0:44:40With addiction, you don't have a choice.
0:44:40 > 0:44:43That's how it feels for you, that you don't have a choice?
0:44:43 > 0:44:44Yeah, you're powerless over it.
0:44:44 > 0:44:47Which one of those two is the addict?
0:44:47 > 0:44:52- The can't or the won't?- I could stop but I wasn't letting myself stop.
0:44:52 > 0:44:54- How come?- Cos I was addicted.
0:44:54 > 0:44:57How come you did drugs, Alex?
0:44:57 > 0:44:58I was in pain.
0:44:59 > 0:45:01Why were you in pain? What was hurting?
0:45:01 > 0:45:04- My heart.- When did your heart problem start?
0:45:06 > 0:45:08When my parents got divorced.
0:45:08 > 0:45:12Alex, you felt you were medicating for feeling sort of anxious
0:45:12 > 0:45:13and you had a low mood.
0:45:13 > 0:45:16And then, did it just become quite addictive?
0:45:16 > 0:45:20Yeah, it really did. I didn't think it was addicting.
0:45:20 > 0:45:22I didn't think I was addicted,
0:45:22 > 0:45:26but when I couldn't go two hours without getting high...
0:45:26 > 0:45:29- Two hours?- Yeah. I was either getting high
0:45:29 > 0:45:31or finding a way to get high.
0:45:31 > 0:45:33That's pretty much all I did.
0:45:33 > 0:45:35Looking back, do you wish, you know, you'd spent more time
0:45:35 > 0:45:37with your parents rather than smoking?
0:45:37 > 0:45:43Yeah, I think that I would have ended up better off
0:45:43 > 0:45:47if I spent more time with them because they're more...
0:45:47 > 0:45:52They're a better friend than pot is.
0:45:56 > 0:46:01'Aaron is on the front line of tackling teenage cannabis abuse.
0:46:01 > 0:46:03'I was interested to know what he thought about
0:46:03 > 0:46:05'Colorado's decision to legalise it.'
0:46:05 > 0:46:08Do you think Amendment 64 is going to result in
0:46:08 > 0:46:10more demand for your service?
0:46:10 > 0:46:14I think Amendment 64 is going to make it easier for children
0:46:14 > 0:46:17- to get their hands on drugs.- Do you? - Yeah, because it's made it easier
0:46:17 > 0:46:20for other people to get it and where do you think children get it?
0:46:20 > 0:46:24This problem's going to get worse and in fact, I'm willing to bet
0:46:24 > 0:46:26that I'm going to have a... I've already got a waiting list
0:46:26 > 0:46:29and my waiting list is going to grow
0:46:29 > 0:46:31because it's going to be easier to get.
0:46:34 > 0:46:36Full-scale legalisation,
0:46:36 > 0:46:40when shops will be allowed to sell marijuana to anyone 21 and over,
0:46:40 > 0:46:43arrives in Colorado at the beginning of next year.
0:46:45 > 0:46:47The industry will be regulated,
0:46:47 > 0:46:50but it's not yet clear what form that will take.
0:46:50 > 0:46:54How hard will it be for kids to get hold of the drug?
0:46:54 > 0:46:56The main suppliers will be the businesses
0:46:56 > 0:46:59which currently provide for the medical marijuana market.
0:46:59 > 0:47:03Dixie Elixirs & Edibles is one of Colorado's biggest.
0:47:03 > 0:47:05- Hi.- Advice would be don't touch anything
0:47:05 > 0:47:08because you could be in for a long and mellow afternoon.
0:47:08 > 0:47:10'Tripp Keber is the managing director.'
0:47:10 > 0:47:13We're recognised by the state of Colorado
0:47:13 > 0:47:16as a medical marijuana-infused products manufacturer.
0:47:16 > 0:47:22So, what that means is, we take cannabis in its raw state
0:47:22 > 0:47:26and we infuse it into the various products that we have.
0:47:26 > 0:47:30From next year, Tripp's potential customer base in Colorado
0:47:30 > 0:47:34will expand from the 100,000 registered medical users
0:47:34 > 0:47:36to the whole of the state's adult population.
0:47:37 > 0:47:41Not surprisingly, the value of this company is rocketing.
0:47:41 > 0:47:45- So, Tripp, this is big business? - It is. It's incredibly big business.
0:47:45 > 0:47:50In just the last 72 hours, we added approximately 200 million
0:47:50 > 0:47:55- to our market cap... - What?!- ..because we're a publicly-traded company and so...
0:47:55 > 0:47:59marijuana both for medicinal use and recreational purposes
0:47:59 > 0:48:02is very sexy these days and so we consider ourselves fortunate.
0:48:02 > 0:48:05- Wow.- So, what you're looking at here, John, is our flagship product.
0:48:05 > 0:48:08It is the medicated Dixy Elixir.
0:48:08 > 0:48:11This is a 12-ounce sparkling redcurrant
0:48:11 > 0:48:14that maintains 75 milligrams of active THC.
0:48:14 > 0:48:18THC is the cannabinoid in marijuana that provides the euphoria
0:48:18 > 0:48:22and that would be the equivalent of smoking between six and seven
0:48:22 > 0:48:24marijuana cigarettes.
0:48:24 > 0:48:25This is not a single serving?
0:48:25 > 0:48:28It's not designed to be, but there are individuals,
0:48:28 > 0:48:30there's patients here in the state, that actually will consume
0:48:30 > 0:48:34that entire product and potentially, more than just one.
0:48:34 > 0:48:36'Eating marijuana rather than smoking it
0:48:36 > 0:48:38'allows more of the active ingredient THC
0:48:38 > 0:48:40'to be absorbed into the body.'
0:48:41 > 0:48:45We have the award-winning medicated chocolate truffle
0:48:45 > 0:48:48which won us the High Times Cannabis Cup Award for Best Edible.
0:48:48 > 0:48:51This product is 150 milligrams per piece and so that would be
0:48:51 > 0:48:53the equivalent of smoking
0:48:53 > 0:48:56between 12 and 15 marijuana cigarettes per piece.
0:48:56 > 0:48:59Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. That's...
0:48:59 > 0:49:00How much? That's serious, isn't it?
0:49:00 > 0:49:04Yes, that would be an incredible amount of medicine to consume.
0:49:04 > 0:49:07All right. You and I open this, we have one of these each...
0:49:07 > 0:49:09- We're going to be on the floor. - I wouldn't dare touch it.
0:49:09 > 0:49:13- Seriously?- I wouldn't touch it. I don't personally medicate,
0:49:13 > 0:49:16but that would provide an incredibly powerful euphoria
0:49:16 > 0:49:20that would last probably 24 hours.
0:49:20 > 0:49:23So, for patients that are really trying to avoid pain,
0:49:23 > 0:49:26this would be a product that they could consume.
0:49:26 > 0:49:29And the interesting thing about this packaging to me, Tripp,
0:49:29 > 0:49:33is that it's got a stonking dose of cannabis in there,
0:49:33 > 0:49:37but I don't see a big warning. You know, "Danger, danger. Be careful. This has got a huge dose."
0:49:37 > 0:49:40It's ultimately the responsibility of the patient, the consumer,
0:49:40 > 0:49:42to ensure what they're getting into.
0:49:42 > 0:49:44'If a child ate one of these truffles,
0:49:44 > 0:49:48'they could potentially overdose and end up needing hospital treatment.'
0:49:48 > 0:49:52Tripp, I understand cannabis as a medication, I get that.
0:49:52 > 0:49:55What I struggle to understand, in all honesty,
0:49:55 > 0:49:59is the sort of different products you've got in this room, this vault,
0:49:59 > 0:50:02which look to me like candy.
0:50:02 > 0:50:06Surely there's a sense that to the eye,
0:50:06 > 0:50:09they're not intended as medicines and they also look as if
0:50:09 > 0:50:12they could be intended, really, for a young person.
0:50:12 > 0:50:16Sure. Well, certainly the intention in the manufacturing
0:50:16 > 0:50:19of these infused products is to ensure that they get to the patients
0:50:19 > 0:50:22that are recognised by the Colorado Department of Public Health
0:50:22 > 0:50:24as having a need for the medicine.
0:50:24 > 0:50:27Nonetheless, it is your choice as a wholesale manufacturer
0:50:27 > 0:50:31- to produce it in that form, to look like a candy.- Uh-hm.
0:50:31 > 0:50:35But we're working to educate both children and adults alike
0:50:35 > 0:50:38the power of these products which today are realised as medicine,
0:50:38 > 0:50:42but as we progress into 2014, for adult use
0:50:42 > 0:50:45and that's not something we should take lightly as an industry.
0:50:45 > 0:50:47That's probably the hardest question I've ever been pressed on.
0:50:49 > 0:50:51I don't get it. I don't get it.
0:50:51 > 0:50:55I can see that there might be a medical application for marijuana,
0:50:55 > 0:50:58but why do you need to produce it in the form that looks like
0:50:58 > 0:51:00a chocolate or a sweet?
0:51:00 > 0:51:03It just surely is attractive to young people.
0:51:05 > 0:51:08Businesses are driven by profit and increasing sales
0:51:08 > 0:51:11and that means marketing and advertising.
0:51:11 > 0:51:14Professional legitimate businesses are likely to be better at this
0:51:14 > 0:51:17than drug gangs and criminal cartels.
0:51:17 > 0:51:21Colorado's state government is currently debating what restrictions
0:51:21 > 0:51:24there will be on packaging, labelling and advertising
0:51:24 > 0:51:27when the laws finally come into effect.
0:51:30 > 0:51:33These decisions are likely to be crucial in preventing a rise
0:51:33 > 0:51:35in cannabis use among young people.
0:51:40 > 0:51:43I was coming to the end of my stay in Colorado.
0:51:43 > 0:51:46From what I'd seen, there has been remarkably little thought put
0:51:46 > 0:51:50into the process of legalisation and how this could impact on drug use.
0:51:52 > 0:51:56Before I left, I wanted to catch up with Jared and his family.
0:51:56 > 0:51:59They'd invited me along to a big night in the high-school gymnasium.
0:52:01 > 0:52:04MUSIC: The Star-Spangled Banner
0:52:09 > 0:52:12Jared was competing in front of his proud parents.
0:52:20 > 0:52:22CHEERING
0:52:26 > 0:52:28So, is this quite an important match tonight?
0:52:28 > 0:52:31Yes, a lot's riding on this match tonight
0:52:31 > 0:52:34because it's his last dual match, but probably a lot too
0:52:34 > 0:52:37- because the two schools are rival schools.- Right.
0:52:37 > 0:52:42Greco-Roman wrestling is a huge sport in American high schools.
0:52:42 > 0:52:44And encouraged by his parents,
0:52:44 > 0:52:47it's a motivation for Jared to stay off cannabis.
0:52:47 > 0:52:51I feel that giving up marijuana during wrestling season
0:52:51 > 0:52:53helps me a little bit.
0:52:53 > 0:52:56I noticed that wrestling is a little bit harder
0:52:56 > 0:52:59with marijuana in my system, so I try to stay out
0:52:59 > 0:53:02or away from it a little bit more.
0:53:02 > 0:53:07It helps me stay focused and keeps my eye on the prizes at the end.
0:53:07 > 0:53:09Come on, Jared! Let's go, Jared.
0:53:14 > 0:53:16Come on!
0:53:27 > 0:53:28There you go.
0:53:28 > 0:53:30Yeah!
0:53:30 > 0:53:32CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:53:35 > 0:53:37Do you think a really good win like that for Jared...
0:53:37 > 0:53:40Do you think that's going to shift his focus,
0:53:40 > 0:53:44so that he might be making decisions to not use marijuana going forwards?
0:53:44 > 0:53:47That's what we're counting on. We're hoping that it's important
0:53:47 > 0:53:51enough to him to hold off until he's completely done with his wrestling.
0:53:51 > 0:53:54I'm just in the process of encouraging him
0:53:54 > 0:53:57to think about life after high school.
0:53:57 > 0:54:00Number one, getting out of high school. Number two,
0:54:00 > 0:54:02where and what are you doing?
0:54:02 > 0:54:05You know, what are the decisions? Start thinking about that now.
0:54:07 > 0:54:10- Help you down the stairs? - Yeah, help the old woman down!
0:54:11 > 0:54:15Jared, congratulations, mate. That was tremendous. Are you pleased?
0:54:15 > 0:54:18Yeah. I dedicated myself a little bit more.
0:54:20 > 0:54:22Maybe took my mind off that
0:54:22 > 0:54:25and focused a little bit more on what I need to do.
0:54:28 > 0:54:32For Jared and his parents, it seemed like a positive outcome.
0:54:41 > 0:54:44Back at the Fire Mountain Rehabilitation Centre,
0:54:44 > 0:54:47it was nearly time for 15-year-old Caylib to go home.
0:54:48 > 0:54:51Caylib, wait at the top right there.
0:54:51 > 0:54:53Give everybody a boost through.
0:54:54 > 0:54:56Leaving the security and the support
0:54:56 > 0:54:59of this small community won't be easy.
0:54:59 > 0:55:03People who develop a heavy marijuana habit in their early teens
0:55:03 > 0:55:05have a one-in-four chance of developing
0:55:05 > 0:55:07a lifelong dependency on the drug.
0:55:09 > 0:55:12I guess you're beginning to think about moving on,
0:55:12 > 0:55:15but give me a sense of what this programme has meant for you.
0:55:15 > 0:55:20They give me a place to come. If I need help with anything...
0:55:20 > 0:55:22I know I can call them.
0:55:24 > 0:55:27They got me sober.
0:55:27 > 0:55:30That's probably the best thing they did for me
0:55:30 > 0:55:33is they got me sober.
0:55:33 > 0:55:37And Aaron, not to be too cliched about it, it doesn't end,
0:55:37 > 0:55:38it continues and begins, doesn't it?
0:55:38 > 0:55:43Yeah, this is boot camp for Caylib. This isn't the real world.
0:55:43 > 0:55:47The real world's outside the door waiting for him when he graduates.
0:55:47 > 0:55:51And relapse is easy. Smoking a joint is easy.
0:55:51 > 0:55:54It's this emotional work that's hard. It's recovery that's hard.
0:55:54 > 0:55:57It's dealing with life that's the challenge.
0:55:57 > 0:55:59Are you worried about when you leave here?
0:55:59 > 0:56:03Are you worried that, you know, marijuana is just everywhere
0:56:03 > 0:56:07and it will be very tempting to go back?
0:56:07 > 0:56:12Um, yeah, I think that the...
0:56:12 > 0:56:16the whole marijuana being legalised is, like,
0:56:16 > 0:56:18I don't think it's a good idea
0:56:18 > 0:56:23because there's people like me and him. We're addicts.
0:56:23 > 0:56:28And that worries me for when I get out because
0:56:28 > 0:56:32I can get it so easily.
0:56:32 > 0:56:35Aaron, are you worried for Caylib as he moves from here
0:56:35 > 0:56:37into the other world, as you put it?
0:56:37 > 0:56:40Absolutely. I'm worried for every single one of them.
0:56:40 > 0:56:42It's not going to make it harder to get.
0:56:42 > 0:56:45Regulation is crap. It doesn't work.
0:56:45 > 0:56:48These kids find a way. They're resourceful.
0:56:48 > 0:56:52We'll have a line at the door. That makes me sad.
0:56:52 > 0:56:54I wouldn't mind being out of work.
0:56:54 > 0:56:57It's a gloomy prediction, but the truth is, no-one knows
0:56:57 > 0:56:59what will happen here
0:56:59 > 0:57:02when the impact of legalisation hits next year.
0:57:03 > 0:57:05And it's not just Colorado.
0:57:05 > 0:57:09A similar process of legalisation is happening in Washington State.
0:57:12 > 0:57:14In many other parts of America,
0:57:14 > 0:57:17marijuana laws are being liberalised.
0:57:18 > 0:57:22There are powerful arguments to say that 80 years of prohibition
0:57:22 > 0:57:26and criminalisation have failed to stop the rise in cannabis use.
0:57:27 > 0:57:31But equally common sense would suggest that making the drug legal
0:57:31 > 0:57:34sends out a message that it is acceptable
0:57:34 > 0:57:36which can only increase consumption.
0:57:37 > 0:57:42For me, the USA is starting out on a public health experiment
0:57:42 > 0:57:45and increases or decreases in use, dependence
0:57:45 > 0:57:47and rates of admissions to treatment clinics
0:57:47 > 0:57:50will be the real way of judging success or failure.
0:57:50 > 0:57:52And one thing's for certain -
0:57:52 > 0:57:55while the two sides are slugging it out,
0:57:55 > 0:57:57America's teenagers are trapped in the middle
0:57:57 > 0:58:00and there's a real risk that more and more will be using
0:58:00 > 0:58:02at a younger age and my fear is that for some,
0:58:02 > 0:58:06they'll be storing up problems for their futures.
0:58:23 > 0:58:26Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd