The Alameda Board of Education is committed to Alameda Unified School District’s vision of serving a diverse community of students in an inclusive, safe, and secure environment.

The Board of Education is also committed to safeguarding the wellness of all students, having established policies by which staff work to ensure well-being of the students AUSD serves.

The Alameda City Council is currently considering local ordinances regarding the regulation of distribution, production, and sale of medicinal and recreational cannabis per California state law.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has documented numerous published findings indicating that cannabis use has harmful effects on adolescents and youth, citing a host of recent medical and scientific research studies to evidence these claims. The American Academy of Pediatrics also references longitudinal studies that link marijuana to negative effects on intellectual function and higher rates of mental health disorders such as addiction, depression, and psychosis.

In its publication entitled “Marijuana and Tobacco Use” (May 2017), the California Department of Public Health cites research showing that the highest rates of past month marijuana use among adolescents aged 12 to 17 were in states or jurisdictions that had legalized commercial marijuana and that nationally the perceived risk of harm associated with marijuana use by adolescents is decreasing while the daily use of marijuana is increasing among high school students. In this report, the California Department of Public Health also cited research findings indicating that early marijuana use is associated not only with impaired school performance but also with an increased likelihood of students dropping out of high school.

The Alameda Board of Education respectfully requests that all these considerations be taken into account by the Alameda community and its elected officials so that the wellness of Alameda youth can be protected and safeguarded:

• The Board of Education hereby respectfully requests that any cannabis business or dispensary in Alameda be located no closer than 1000 feet from any school, park, or child care center.

• The Board of Education hereby respectfully requests that local tax revenue from City of Alameda cannabis regulation be set aside annually for AUSD use to fund the provision of counseling and education required to address the potential increase of cannabis use in students that may arise because of the pending regulation of cannabis distribution, production, and sales in Alameda.

This item was discussed and approved at the September 26th Board meeting. Please note, the original version of the Resolution is marked as the REDLINE version. The Board's edits to the Resolution were incorporated and are in the REVISED FINAL version of the Resolution. This item was added to the Consent Calendar so the Board can confirm the edits made by staff.