Special report: Marijuana and K-12 schools

Two Colorado communities have taken very different – and somewhat surprising – positions on medical marijuana dispensaries near schools.

A worker at Fort Collins' Medicinal Gardens dispensary, one of 23 facing a Feb. 14 deadline for closure. Photo by Joe Mahoney / I-News (Dylan Peers McCoy)

Colorado Springs, typically stereotyped as a conservative military town, allows medical marijuana dispensaries as close as 400 feet to K-12 schools.

And the number of medical marijuana businesses throughout the city now rivals the number of churches.

Fort Collins, the laid-back university town dubbed “Fort Fun,” has banned medical marijuana businesses after a bitter campaign where supporters focused on “Save our kids!”

Dispensaries were given until Feb. 14 to pack up and leave.

Education News Colorado, Solutions and the I-News Network explored how these two communities separated by some 150 miles ended up on such different paths.

Part 2 of our special report on marijuana and K-12 schools:

Part 1 of our special report focused on the 45 percent increase in drug violations reported by Colorado’s K-12 schools. Read about it here.