Detroit superintendent: Legal weed spurs huge increase in school drug-related incidents
Drug-related incidents have skyrocketed in the Detroit Public Schools Community District — going from 289 incidents in 2019-21 to 1,735 incidents in 2021-23 — and Superintendent Nikolai Vitti is asking state leaders for help curbing what he claims is a "distressing escalation" of marijuana in schools, he wrote in a letter sent Thursday.
Vitti wrote that during this school year alone, the district has faced 745 drug-related incidents. The superintendent wrote that edible packaging has become particularly problematic in schools, because packaging can look like regular candy, making it easier for students to have edibles on campus.
"A week of school rarely passes where a student is not taken to the hospital due to intentional or unintentional consumption of edibles," he wrote.
Recreational marijuana was legalized in the state in 2018. Vitti's letter appears to have been emailed to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Detroit City Council members and numerous state legislators.
The superintendent is asking leaders to consider measures that would:
Require edibles to be "unmistakably labeled as such," prohibiting manufacturers from using packaging that could look like regular, marijuana-free candy.
Provide funding for marijuana detection for schools, so officials could test vape pens. Vitti wants that funding to come from a tax on marijuana sales.
Create a public awareness campaign to help get edibles out of the hands of children and teens, encouraging adults to secure their marijuana.
Vitti credited the legalization of recreational marijuana for creating more disruptions in schools.
"Let us work together to prevent further harm and ensure the safety of our children, educators and communities," he wrote.
Contact Lily Altavena: laltavena@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit schools chief: Marijuana incidents in schools skyrocketing
