MANY PARENTS AREN'T TELLING KIDS TO SAY NO

About 6 in 10 parents failed to tell their teens not to use marijuana
during their last conversation about the drug, even though nearly all
parents say they would be upset if their teens used it, according to a
national survey to be released today by the Hazelden Foundation.

"Parents should be laying out the clear consequences of drug use to make
their kids think twice about using," said Rhonda Sykes, associate clinical
director for Hazelden Chicago's Lombard office. "Kids are getting addicted
to it faster and taking it up much more quickly and intensely as a habit."

While 98 percent of parents said they would be upset if they learned their
teens were using marijuana, only 40 percent advised teens not to use it in
their last talk about the drug, the survey found. And just 20 percent
emphasized that marijuana use is illegal.

Seventy-four percent of parents believe their teens have never smoked pot,
the survey found. But more than half of all teens try pot before they
graduate from high school, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Of the parents surveyed, 41 percent have smoked marijuana themselves at
some point. Those parents were more likely to believe that today's
marijuana is stronger than it was in the past, but less likely to think it
was addictive.

Parents who smoked marijuana were more likely to talk to their kids about
the drug than parents who had not smoked marijuana.

"The whole family needs to be involved," said "Mary," the mother of a
17-year old west suburban boy who is in a recovery program after smoking
pot and using cocaine. Mary asked not to be identified.

"Parents should go through their kids' rooms if they need to because teens
can be very good about hiding and lying," Mary said. She said she first
talked to her son about the dangers of drugs when he was 11, but he started
smoking marijuana at 14 because he "just wanted to try it," he told his
mother.

Parents should tell teens about the dangers of today's marijuana, which is
much stronger than it was 20 years ago, making it more addictive and more
likely to cause impairment in short-term memory, learning and coordination,
Sykes said.

"They need to tell their kids that they will take something away if they
use marijuana, such as the car keys or the amount of time they're allowed
to spend with friends," Sykes said.

Parents also should talk to school officials if they suspect their teens
are using drugs and seek help from treatment programs, Mary said.

The Hazelden study surveyed, by telephone, 505 adults with children 13 to 18.

Hazelden is a nonprofit foundation that provides treatment and prevention
services for alcohol and drug dependency.