KIDS GET POT EASIER THAN SMOKES: STUDY

Marijuana is perceived as easier to access than cigarettes on Canadian
school grounds, a newly released government report on teenagers shows.

Commissioned by Health Canada, the report was prepared for the
department's effort in developing coping and refusal skills among
teenagers. It said the easier access to marijuana is ironically due to
the legal age limit for smoking cigarettes and the fact that you have
to buy cigarettes through traditional outlets, such as corner stores.

Based on focus groups held across the country, it also states that
marijuana is perceived among Canadian teens to be less harmful to
those who use it, compared to cigarettes, because of the effective
messages that participants have been exposed to on the health effects
of cigarettes and second-hand smoke relative to those of marijuana.