Colorado fourth-graders caught in school drug bust

DENVER — Two 10-year-old boys in Colorado were caught selling and swapping marijuana that they pilfered from their grandparents’ supplies of legally purchased pot in separate incidents at the same school, a district official said on Wednesday.

John Gates, director of safety and security for Weld County School District 6, said a fourth-grade boy at Monfort Elementary in Greeley brought a small amount of marijuana to school on Monday and sold it to three other classmates.

“He made $11 on the deal,” Gates said.

The following day, one of the other students who purchased the weed brought a marijuana-infused edible product to school and gave it to the boy who made the original sale, Gates said.

That boy nibbled on the edible, but suffered no ill-effects, Gates said, adding that another student observed the incident and reported it to school authorities.

Ultimately, the district disciplined four fourth-grade students, three boys and one girl, in connection with the two incidents, Gates said, but he declined to specify the nature of the punishment.

Voters in Colorado approved the possession and use of small amounts of cannabis by adults for recreational purposes in 2012, and the first state-licensed retail pot stores opened in the state in January.

Gates said the both boys caught bringing marijuana to school had taken the cannabis from their respective grandparents, who had purchased the pot products legally from state-sanctioned shops.

The principal of the school, Jennifer Sheldon, sent a letter home to parents informing them of the incidents, noting that “disciplinary action is underway” for the involved students.

“We urge all parents, grandparents and anyone who cares for children to treat marijuana as you would prescription drugs, alcohol, or even firearms,” the letter said. “This drug is potentially lethal to children and should always be kept under lock and key, away from young people.”

Sergeant Joe Tymkowich, spokesman for the Greeley Police Department, said no criminal investigation was underway, either for the students or their grandparents.

Under Colorado law, children age 10 or younger cannot be held criminally responsible for their actions, he said, and police determined there was no criminal intent by the adults.

“By the time the school even became aware of it, all the evidence was gone anyway,” he said. (Reporting by Keith Coffman; Editing by Steve Gorman and Lisa Shumaker)