TEEN USE OF MARIJUANA SOARING IN ALBERTA, SAYS AAD

Marijuana use among adolescents has mushroomed dramatically in Alberta,
says an official with the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission.

The results of an Ontario study showing the use of marijuana among teens in
that province has skyrocketed to late-1970s levels mirrors Alberta, said
AADAC's Nancy Snowball. "It's in line with a trend that's already
happening, which is an increase in cannabis and tobacco use," said Snowball.

The study by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health shows the number of
Ontario teens who have smoked marijuana has gone from 13% in 1993 to more
than 30% in the past year.

Snowball said evidence from AADAC counsellors has indicated there's also
been a rise in cannabis use among Alberta teens.

"They're seeing a lot more of it and the ones they see using marijuana are
usually using something else, too," she said.

Societal messages downplaying the dangers of marijuana and endorsing its
decriminalization is one factor for the increased popularity of the drug,
said Snowball.

"If I'm a young person hearing adults say it's not so harmful, then it
makes it easier to cross the line and use it," said Snowball.

The relatively low price and easy access to marijuana are other factors,
she said.

The head of Calgary's police drug unit agreed marijuana is easy to find
while the price has risen little over the years.

"There's lots of grass in Calgary and the price has been pretty constant,"
said Staff Sgt. Paul Laventure.

A quarter ounce of marijuana - a frequently purchased smaller quantity -
has remained in the $75 to $80 range for nearly 20 years.

But the potency of the drug has increased dramatically - in some cases by
as much as 10 times from the 1970s, said Laventure. He said Calgary-area
police have fewer resources to combat the marijuana trade after local RCMP
reassigned two of their officers earlier this year.

That left just two Calgary Police Service officers in the city police-RCMP
cannabis-interdiction unit.

"We do as much as we can with what we have," said Laventure. Even so,
alcohol abuse remains by far the largest substance-abuse problem among
Alberta teens, with 1996 statistics showing that 55% of youths drank at
least once in the past year, said AADAC's Snowball.