MARIJUANA TOO EASY TO FIND

Now that school has started, parents and students have plenty of pitfalls
to avoid.

One that may surprise some parents was revealed this week in the annual
National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse poll on drug use: teens
can find marijuana easier than cigarettes or beer.

The Associated Press noted that this year's survey marked the first time
since the questionnaire was launched in 1996 that students said pot was
easier to get than alcohol or tobacco.

Still, the survey showed that 75 percent of American teenagers say they
have never tried marijuana, and a national education official told the AP
that drug use among students has been dropping for four or five years.

That's good news. Anti-drug programs appear to be working across the nation.

But parents can't afford to relax. Twenty-seven percent of the youths
surveyed said they could get marijuana in an hour if they wanted it. Some
25 percent of the students said they have seen illegal drugs being sold at
school.

The overall numbers show that most teens are savvy enough to avoid illegal
drugs, but sadly drugs are readily available.

Parents must continue to remind their children of the importance of
avoiding drugs and of the life-damaging consequences of addiction and
participation in illegal activities.