NYC students caught with weed are receiving ‘warning cards’

By Selim Algar

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City students are getting a free pass when it comes to getting high.

The Department of Education’s softened policy on pot infractions among students led to a 192 percent plunge in weed-related NYPD summonses in the final three months of 2018 — the first time the largely relaxed rules were fully implemented systemwide, a Post analysis of police data found.

There were just 38 such summonses given out in that period compared with 111 issued in the same time frame in 2017.

“The message has been made clear: Hands off the kids. It’s only going to get worse from here,’’ said Greg Floyd, president of the union representing NYPD school-safety agents.

Floyd argued that the new policy signals a de facto acceptance of marijuana in city schools.

He noted recent Post reports on Forest Hills HS, where staffers blame a lax principal for students’ rampant cannabis consumption both on and near campus.

“What did we think was going to happen here?” Floyd said of the district’s new stance.

At issue is the DOE’s decision to issue largely toothless “warning cards” instead of criminal summonses for schoolkids over age 16 caught with small amounts of pot.

Under the new policy, parents of students caught with pot are notified that their kids are getting a card and what the infraction was. Nothing remains on the teens’ record, and there is no set punishment if they rack up warnings.

Instead, it is up to schools to deal with stoned students, and punishments can run from a stern talking-to to suspension. And kids under 16 caught with weed don’t even get cards; they are dealt with at their school’s discretion.

As of Feb. 10, 183 marijuana warning cards have been issued this academic year, the DOE says.

The relaxed approach, backers assert, protects students from permanent criminal records.

Consultant Ben Cort, whose book “Weed, Inc.” and popular TED talk lecture stress the dangers of the newly legalized marijuana industry, said the issue isn’t so simple.

“It’s really good that we’re finding ways to not saddle young people with criminal records,” he said. “But it’s a bad idea that we’re communicating to kids that marijuana use does not have consequences for them.

“The earlier one begins [smoking pot], the more they consume, and the more potent the weed is, the more likely they will be dependent.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, regular consumption of THC, the drug found in marijuana, can trigger depression, anxiety and psychosis — especially in kids with family histories of issues.

“Research shows that 1 in 6 teens who repeatedly use marijuana can become addicted,” the CDC says.

The DOE said its new approach conveys the dangers of marijuana use while sparing kids the trauma of early criminal exposure.

“Possession of marijuana is prohibited in any DOE school, and students who use marijuana on school grounds are appropriately disciplined,” said spokeswoman Miranda Barbot.