OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR 136 State Capitol Denver, Colorado 80203 Phone {303) 866-2471 Fax ?3031866-2003 STATE OF COLORADO June 4, 2018 John W. Hickenlooper The Honorable Colorado House of Representatives Governor State Capitol 200 E. Colfax Ave. Denver, CO 80203 Dear Members of the Colorado House of Representatives: Today, after careful consideration, I signed House Bill 18-1286, ?Concerning Allowing School Personnel to Give Medical Marijuana to a Student with a Medical Marijuana Registry Card While at School.? House Bill 18-1286 18-1286?) expands on current law to allow school personnel to administer medical marijuana in a non?smokable form to students qualifying for medical marijuana use. In evaluating this bill, we spoke with parents whose children are medical marijuana patients. We ?nd their reasoning and advocacy very compelling, especially that of Ms. Hannah Lovato and her son Quintin who inspired the bill. Their message was overwhelmingly persuasive, and we sign this bill today with much admiration for Quintin and expect great things in the future from this impressive young man. In signing this bill. we acknowledge the sponsors? additions to the bill to provide added protections and substantial improvements to protect school districts, school personnel, and children. These protections further convinced me to sign HB 18-1286. We are particularly pleased with language added clarifying that school personnel are not required to administer medical marijuana to a student patient, but rather makes the bill volitional. Furthermore, several safety measures were included in the legislation regarding the transport, handling, and storage of marijuana to ensure that it does not end up in the hands of other students. These critical protections are key to ensuring that schools can administer this medication with ef?cacy while providing latitude for both districts and personnel to make their own determination on whether to administer medical marijuana. Since the passage of Amendment 64, many efforts were made to ensure that children and youth are aware of the harm that marijuana can in?ict on a developing brain. We launched both public awareness and educational campaigns to ensure that our kids understand the negative impacts of marijuana in terms of public health, safety, and well-being. While we sign this bill today, we do so with continued caution that the State must remain attuned to the need to ensure that recreational marijuana doesn?t end up in the hands of our children. W. Hickenloopcr Governor Sincerely,