(1) The general assembly hereby finds and declares that: (a) Colorado ranks fortieth in the nation in the school nurse-to-student ratio; (b) The federal center for disease control's healthy people 2020 recommended one school nurse for every seven hundred fifty general education students, but many school nurses in Colorado are responsible for as many as six thousand students, making it difficult to provide the social-emotional support necessary to students and staff; (c) In 2011, prior to the legalization of retail marijuana, almost forty percent of students surveyed reported having tried marijuana one or more times, with nine percent reporting that they had tried marijuana before age thirteen; (d) In addition, twenty-two percent of students reported using marijuana one or more times in the last thirty days, with six percent reporting that they had used marijuana on school property one or more times; (e) The legalization of retail marijuana is anticipated to increase the availability of marijuana to underage youth; (f) Marijuana use by minors can have immediate and lasting health implications, and many youth who engage in substance abuse develop or have underlying behavioral health needs; (g) School health professionals have already started to experience the results of marijuana as a newly legalized substance in increased visits to the health office and referrals from school staff; and (h) School health professionals are in a unique position to educate, assess, and treat youth who have substance abuse or behavioral health issues. (2) The general assembly further finds and declares that a program to provide matching grants to education providers to enhance the presence of school health professionals in schools throughout the state will facilitate better screening, education, and referral care coordination for students with substance abuse and other behavioral health needs.
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