密歇根新闻广播 密歇根的娱乐用大麻对儿童意味着什么？

Michigan voters will decide in November whether to legalize recreational marijuana use for adults.

One major issue is how to keep it out of the hands of young people.

On a sunny morning last month, high school student Tim Schlumberger was hanging out with a few friends at a Boulder¹, Colorado skate park.

Schlumberger says he doesn't use cannabis. But many of his classmates do. And some do a lot.

"Yeah, it depends," says Schlumberger. "You got some people...like started smoking weed when they were really young and they just got into harder drugs and really screws withthem."

According to the Centers for Disease Control, teenagers who use cannabis products are especially at risk, since the teen brain is still developing. So getting an effective message to young people has been an ongoing² effort in Colorado.

Andrew Freedman was Colorado's first state government marijuana czar. He now works asa consultant³ helping⁴ governments with their own marijuana industries.

Freedman says Colorado’s first teen education campaign was called "Don't Be A Lab Rat."

"We thought it was a softer message than "Just Say No," mused⁵ Freedman.

The campaign featured human-size cages set up in public spaces around the state.

Freedman admits it didn't go over well.

"The industry and advocates looked at it and said, 'Those look like prisons.' And we're like, 'No they don't. They're giant lab rat cages,'" says Freedman.

"Then the rest of Colorado took a look and said, 'No, no, they look like prisons,'" concedes Freedman.

State and industry officials believe their messaging has improved since then, and the data suggest the message is working.

Mike Van Dyke⁶ is with the Colorado Department of Health. His division monitors the effect of marijuana on public health. He says recent surveys show marijuana use among Colorado teenagers remains⁷ at the same level as it was before legalization. But there arealso disturbing trends.

"What we are starting to see in the adolescent population...we are starting to seechanges in the types of products they are using," says Van Dyke.

For example Van Dyke says more teenagers are dabbing⁸. Dabbing involves inhaling⁹ smoke from concentrates which can be 50% to 90% pure THC. Researchers say dabbing produces a more intense high than other ways of consuming marijuana.

And hospital emergency rooms are seeing the results.

Dr. Sam Wang is a pediatric emergency physician at Children's Hospital in Denver Colorado.

He says a review of ER records shows the percentage of pediatric visits for marijuana related health issues roughly tripled between 2005 and 2015.

"Potentially, it's not that they're using more. But adolescents, when they are using...may be using more potent¹⁰ products being exposed to more higher amounts of THC" says Wang.

Some health officials here in Michigan want to get ahead of the problem.

Earlier this year, the Genesee County Board of Health came out against the November ballot¹¹ question.

"If mom and dad are using it recreationally, that sends a message. That models a behavior. That makes it more likely that they will use as well," says GCBH president Kay Doerr.

For some, education is the best solution.

Mollie Lotz and her partner Sarah Grippa have developed a new curriculum for schools.It's already being taught in schools in Colorado, Texas, Florida, and even one in Michigan.

Lotz says they wanted to get away from the 'Just Say No' model, which often equated¹² marijuana with heroin¹³ and other drugs.

"If we continue teaching marijuana with heroin, meth, cocaine¹⁴ and other substances, we're going to lose the students whose parents are maybe using medicinally or recreationally," says Lotz. "Students already know it's quite different because it's recognized as a legalized substance in Colorado."

Lotz says Michigan educators need to be ready to answer questions about marijuana before voters decide whether to approve legalizing recreational use in November.

1 boulder   

n.巨砾；卵石，圆石

参考例句：

• We all heaved together and removed the boulder.大家一齐用劲，把大石头搬开了。
• He stepped clear of the boulder.他从大石头后面走了出来。

2 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

3 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

5 mused   

v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事）

参考例句：

• \"I wonder if I shall ever see them again, \"he mused. “我不知道是否还可以再见到他们，”他沉思自问。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• \"Where are we going from here?\" mused one of Rutherford's guests. 卢瑟福的一位客人忍不住说道：‘我们这是在干什么？” 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史

6 dyke   

n.堤，水坝，排水沟

参考例句：

• If one sheep leap over the dyke,all the rest will follow.一只羊跳过沟，其余的羊也跟着跳。
• One ant-hole may cause the collapse of a thousand-li dyke.千里长堤，溃于蚁穴。

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

8 dabbing   

石面凿毛，灰泥抛毛

参考例句：

• She was crying and dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. 她一边哭一边用手绢轻按眼睛。
• Huei-fang was leaning against a willow, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. 四小姐蕙芳正靠在一棵杨柳树上用手帕揉眼睛。 来自子夜部分

9 inhaling   

v.吸入( inhale的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was treated for the effects of inhaling smoke. 他因吸入烟尘而接受治疗。 来自辞典例句
• The long-term effects of inhaling contaminated air is unknown. 长期吸入被污染空气的影响还无从知晓。 来自互联网

10 potent   

adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的

参考例句：

• The medicine had a potent effect on your disease.这药物对你的病疗效很大。
• We must account of his potent influence.我们必须考虑他的强有力的影响。

11 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

12 equated   

adj.换算的v.认为某事物（与另一事物）相等或相仿( equate的过去式和过去分词 )；相当于；等于；把（一事物） 和（另一事物）等同看待

参考例句：

• Production costs for the movie equated to around 30% of income. 这部电影的制作成本相当于收益的30%。
• Politics cannot be equated with art. 政治不能同艺术等同起来。

13 heroin   

n.海洛因

参考例句：

• Customs have made their biggest ever seizure of heroin.海关查获了有史以来最大的一批海洛因。
• Heroin has been smuggled out by sea.海洛因已从海上偷运出境。

14 cocaine   

n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂）

参考例句：

• That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
• Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。