MARIJUANA CHOICE DRUG FOR YOUTH DETAINEES

Marijuana was detected in nearly half of Maryland juveniles detained for
trial, according to preliminary analysis of a study monitoring drug use by
teens.

Results of the study, analyzed by Maryland's Drug Early Warning System
(DEWS), appear to support what law enforcement and public health authorities
have indicated in recent years were signs that marijuana had become the
leading drug of choice among juvenile offenders.

In the study, known as the Offender Urinalysis Screening program, marijuana
was found in urine samples of 44 percent of those tested at the state
Department of Juvenile Justice facility in Baltimore. The drug was found in
29 percent of youths tested in Harford County, 28 percent in Frederick
County, 19 percent in Baltimore County and 18 percent in Montgomery County.

Overall, 43 percent of youths tested positive for at least one drug,
primarily marijuana. About 1 percent tested positive for cocaine, opiates or
amphetamines, the study found.

The study was based on voluntary, anonymous interviewing and testing of more
than 800 juveniles as they entered state detention centers between May 1999
and last June to await trial.

The results, researchers noted, are appearing as drug use by teens
nationwide, particularly among those from impoverished backgrounds, is at
the highest level on record.

"The trend we've been seeing for a long time is now confirmed with hard
figures," said Erin Artigiani, senior researcher at DEWS, the state-funded
substance abuse research facility at the University of Maryland at College
Park. "These tests give a quick picture of what the emerging drug problems
are in this population."

The study, conducted within 72 hours of a youth's entry into the justice
system, focused on Baltimore City and the four counties cited above.
However, similar studies are underway in five other counties, including
Calvert, Charles and St. Mary's.

In the study, cocaine and opiates were detected in 4 percent of tested
juveniles. Youths told researchers that many of their peers see marijuana
"the same as cigarettes" and that it is easier to obtain than alcohol
because "you need an ID" to purchase beer and liquor.

About 1,200 youths are being held to await trial or serve sentences at
Maryland's 10 juvenile detention centers, according to Bob Kannenberg,
spokesman for the Department of Juvenile Justice.

Typically, when a juvenile enters a detention facility, no drug testing
occurs but counselors conduct interviews about drug use. If a youth tests
positive for a drug after detention or during probation, he or she is placed
in a specialized drug treatment program, said Ruth Phillips, administrator
for substance abuse.

Another recent DEWS study found that use of Ecstasy, a euphoria-inducing
synthetic drug, had increased dramatically statewide but particularly among
youths, prompting Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend to launch a broad
public relations campaign to educate parents and doctors about the
stimulant.

Researchers said the most recent DEWS study does not necessarily reflect
drug use patterns of the general youth population.

In November, however, the broadest national study of adolescents found that
one in 10, or about 2 million youths, reported that they drink alcohol
weekly.

One in 12 seventh- and eighth-graders who responded to the National
Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health reported drinking alcohol at least
two or three times a month. More than four said they had a drink within the
last year.