LEGALIZE DRUGS, SAYS UVIC RESEARCHER

Regulation Of Marijuana, Ecstasy Would Reduce Youth Death Toll, He Says

Marijuana and ecstasy pose a serious health threat to youth, but by
making these drugs legal we'd be better able to regulate and control
their use, a UVic researcher said yesterday.

"We're doing a much better job of regulating tobacco than we are the
illegal drugs," Dr. Tim Stockwell, a UVic psychology professor and
director with the Centre for Addictions Research of B.C., said in an interview.

"The bad news is this is a terrible problem, but the good news is we
do at least know something now about what can be done to help."

Stockwell is one of the authors of an article published yesterday in
the prestigious U.K. medical journal, The Lancet, which says a third
of young people's deaths worldwide stem from the use of alcohol and
illicit drugs.

An estimated 330,000 deaths among young people can be attributable to
substance abuse, Stockwell said. Two-thirds to three-quarters of
those who die are males.

Stockwell said more education needs to be aimed at youth on how to
use drugs safely, "and that often means not using them."

Substance abuse will continue despite the health warnings, he said.
"We also need to regulate the availability and price of legal drugs.

"We may need to think about making some borderline illegal drugs,
like cannabis and ecstasy, legal so they can be better regulated and
controlled."

Substance abuse among youths can lead to an increased risk of disease
or death later, the researchers found.

"Women are more likely to suffer liver damage," Stockwell said.

"Acute pancreatitis can be brought on by a really heavy drinking
session. There's alcoholic overdose and poisoning that can be fatal.
GHB can be fatal on its own, as most people know, but alcohol is
always there as a background drug most people use."

The good news is harm-reduction programs are proving effective in
stopping youth from abusing drugs and alcohol.

The researchers found that:

- - In many countries, overdoses of alcohol and other drugs compete
with road crashes as leading causes of death in young people

- - Alcohol causes 31.5 per cent of all deaths in those between ages 15 and 29

- - Binge drinking or drug use is especially common among young people

- - In 2000, substance abuse led to 9.8 per cent of disease among those
ages 15 to 29

- - Substance abuse among children and adolescents can impede healthy
development of the body, brain and behaviour.

Strategies that include random breath testing and graduated driver
licensing can reduce vehicle accidents, the researchers found.
"Improved enforcement of drinking-driving laws has been linked to
reductions in youth suicide and risky sexual behavior," the article says.