Tale of two surveys
Healthy Kids Colorado tells one story for state, another at local level

When the most recent Healthy Kids Colorado Survey came out, one stat stood out in the headlines – marijuana use among Colorado teens was not on the rise.
And, it is true. Marijuana use among Colorado’s kids has remained static over the past couple of years.
According to the survey’s authors, “four out of five Colorado high school students have not used marijuana in the last 30 days, a rate that remains relatively unchanged since 2013.”
Beneath this statewide average, however, is another truth.
Marijuana use among high school juniors is up 19 percent. For seniors, it increased by 14 percent.
Not only are the numbers a little different at the grade level, they’re also different from town to town.
In Boulder and Broomfield, for example, marijuana use among high school juniors and seniors was up 50 percent.
The numbers are also up in La Plata County, where the increase of marijuana use among students in grades 6 – 12 rose 11 percent.
“When you see the leaves turning color you know something’s happening,” explained Pat Senecal, director for the Celebrating Healthy Communities Coalition. “So when we see this uptick, as a community we should pay attention – the leaves are turning colors.”
For years, the statistics had been going down across the state and in the Southwest.
Between 2007-14, the number of La Plata County’s kids in grades 6-12 who said they’d used alcohol in the past 30 days dropped from 36 percent to 19 percent. But, since 2014, that number has gone up to 21.6 percent.
It might not seem like a huge jump, but the point organizations like the Celebrating Healthy Communities Coalition want to make is the numbers are on the rise – for the first time in years.
When it comes to marijuana use, the numbers started going up in 2012 and have slowly and steadily increased. Celebrating Healthy Communities Coalition is wondering “Why?”
In an effort to find some answers, and strategies for turning things around, the coalition turned to the people behind the numbers – La Plata County’s kids.
One of the students who answered the call, and the help-wanted ad, was Durango High School senior Camren Cordell.
Not only was it a paid internship, the self-proclaimed science nerd got the chance to crunch the numbers and analyze the data. She said especially in her age group, much of the data on marijuana is new and much of it is social, not scientific data.
As someone who wants to be a biochemical engineer, it was right up her alley.
“It was interesting to see something that hit so close to my age group and my community,” she said.
Cordell worked with other students from DHS, Animas High School, Ignacio and Bayfield. They spoke with community leaders like law enforcement, social workers and even the owners of local dispensaries.
Then, the students sat down and began brainstorming on a slogan.
Cordell started by explaining every action has a reaction, or consequences. Whether it’s impacting college admissions or personal health, she and the other students wanted to find a way to express how a decision made in the moment could last a lifetime.
The result is a campaign called “Are You Clouding Your Future?”
The focus is about “being mindful of your future,” she said, and the effects of instant gratification could be long term. It’s a risk.
The perception that it’s a risk is another standout stat from the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey. Students who think there’s a moderate or great risk from marijuana use is down 12 percent from just a few years ago.
“That’s how we all make our decisions – the perception of risk and harm,” explained Lauren Patterson, who works with the Celebrating Healthy Communities Coalition and the La Plata Family Centers Coalition.
Patterson said it might not seem risky to adults over the age of 21, who can legally purchase alcohol or marijuana, but the risks are different for the area’s teens. Studies show the brain is still developing well into a person’s 20s, she added, and marijuana use does affect the brain.
Teens in La Plata County might not understand the difference in brain development between themselves and their parents.
“Our community has a norm of ‘We work hard, we play hard,’” Patterson said. “A lot of the play is outdoors and healthy but alcohol and, increasingly, marijuana have become a part of the ‘play hard’ mantra.”
And, perception matters.
Senecal said there’s a perception among Colorado teens that everybody’s doing it. The truth is most are not. Seven out of 10 La Plata County teens are not drinking alcohol. Eight out of 10 are not using marijuana.
It could be because they’re just too busy doing other things, which was the inspiration for another coalition campaign “Too Busy.”  
Almost 75 percent of La Plata County students said they want to do well in school. More than 66 percent spend several hours a week with sports, clubs and other organizations; and another 21 percent spend time in the theater, playing music or other creative arts.
Although most of La Plata County’s kids are engaged in healthy behaviors, it’s incumbent on the community to continue the discussion, Patterson said.
“(Celebrating Healthy Communities Coalition) is about building assets in La Plata County where all children are doing well,” she explained. “That’s what we’re for – having a healthy community.”