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