Detroit, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The Superintendent of Michigan’s largest public school system is sounding the alarm on increased instances of marijuana abuse by minors in the state.

Nikolai Vitti, Superintendent of Detroit Public Schools sent a letter to lawmakers voicing the need for a policy change to address underage use of marijuana in schools, primarily edibles, especially after the state has loosened restrictions on the substance.

Since 2019, drug related instances have more than tripled.

MORE NEWS: Transnational Gangs Continue to Target High-end Oakland County Homes

The district recorded 289 drug-related incidents in the 2019-20 school year, Vitti said. That number has increased to 1,735 incidents in the last two school years, between 2021 and 2023.

“This school year alone, we have already faced 745 drug-related infractions as of last week,” Vitti said in his letter. “A week of school rarely passes where a student is not taken to the hospital due to intentional or unintentional consumption of edibles.”

Specific requests of Michigan officials.

Superintendent Vitti is asking Michigan lessees to consider:

• Require edibles to be “unmistakably labeled as such “prohibiting manufacturers from using packaging that could look like regular, marijuana-free candy
• Provide funding for marijuana detection for schools, so officials could test vape pens. Vitti wants the funding to come from a tax on marijuana sales.
• Create a public awareness campaign to help get edibles out of the hands of children and teens, encouraging adults to secure their marijuana

Recreational marijuana was legalized in 2018 for Michiganders.