CENTRE TO DISCUSS MARIJUANA ADDICTION AMONG STUDENTS

Approximately one in four high school students have used marijuana at
least once in the past year, peaking at 46 per cent by Grade 12, an
addiction research centre says.

This week, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in
collaboration with the Champlain Addiction Coordinating Body and the
Ottawa Integrated Drugs & Addictions Strategy is holding a conference
called "Dazed and Confused: Problematic Marijuana Use Among Teens.

The free conference will discuss how marijuana dependence is the No. 1
reason why teens seek treatment.

"Marijuana is the most common drug problem among youth," says Paul
Welsh, Executive Director of Rideauwood Addiction and Family Services
and member of the Champlain Addiction Coordinating Body. "It will take
widespread efforts from families to corporations to governments to
respond effectively to this widespread community problem."

In high schools across Ontario, marijuana has become the drug of
choice after alcohol, even surpassing tobacco, and has been found to
have a huge impact on learning and motivation, the group says.