STRONGER POT LINKED TO HIGHER ABUSE RATES

Marijuana's Potency Jumped 66% From 1992 to 2002, As Serious Problems
Rose 25%, Researchers Say

ATLANTA -- Marijuana abuse and addiction have increased over the past
decade, even though the percentage of people using pot has remained
roughly the same, a new study says.

The reason: It's not your parents' marijuana.

A 25 percent increase in serious problems with marijuana from 1992 to
2002 is likely explained by a 66 percent increase in the potency of
the drug, researchers from the National Institute of Drug Abuse report
in today's Journal of the American Medical Association.

Marijuana today has nearly five times the level of THC, the drug's
most active ingredient, than was in the pot of the 1970s, government
figures suggest. Marijuana has become so strong that the liberal
government of the Netherlands is considering classifying it as a
"hard" drug to be banned from the "coffee shops" of Amsterdam, where
it is sold openly.

Hydroponic growing techniques and the selective use of seeds from
powerful strains contribute to the higher levels of THC, researchers
say. Superstrong "BC Bud" from British Columbia can easily be
obtained, especially in the northwest United States.

"People still have a naive approach to marijuana and think of it as a
harmless substance," said Dr. William Compton, lead author of the new
study and an epidemiologist with the National Institute of Drug Abuse,
one of the National Institutes of Health. "It's not as innocent as
they might expect."

About 4 percent of Americans age 18 and older say they smoked
marijuana in the past year, the same as a decade ago, the study found.
But use of the drug among blacks and Hispanics increased
significantly, with use among blacks now surpassing that by whites.

Rates of abuse and addiction increased the most among minorities, with
serious marijuana problems now more common among blacks and Hispanics
than in whites. Overall, more than a third of marijuana users report
signs of abuse or addiction.

The study is based on two sets of information gathered in interviews
by the U.S. Census Bureau. Marijuana users who acknowledged at least
one of four criteria for abuse, such as pot-related legal problems or
interference with work, were considered abusers.

Those who noted at least three of six other criteria -- including the
need to use more pot to achieve the same effect and unsuccessful
attempts to cut back -- were categorized as dependent, or addicted.

"This study shows that there is a certain propensity to addiction for
marijuana," Compton said. "That may surprise people, that marijuana
can be addictive."