TEEN MARIJUANA USE ON RISE IN DUPAGE

Pot smoking is on the rise in DuPage County, especially among
teenagers. "Marijuana is coming back and becoming more popular," said
Terry Lemming, deputy director of DuMeg, the county agency that
investigates drug crimes. "But it's much more dangerous because it's
more potent."

In fact, marijuana is 15 times stronger than the drug people used 30
years ago. And children are using it at younger ages.

"From what I see, more kids in early high school and grade school are
starting to use the drug," Lemming said.

National statistics are so alarming that Hazelden Chicago, a drug
treatment center in Lombard, will sponsor a two-day conference this
week at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn.

"In the neighborhood of 17 to 20 percent of eighth-graders are using
on a regular basis," said Peter Palanca, executive director of Hazelden.

He said a 1997 study reported drug usage jumped to 35 percent for
10th-graders and 38 to 45 percent for 12th-graders.

Children are starting drug use as early as age 10, he
said.

Hazelden Chicago, which serves young adults, is bringing in Susan Dalterio,
a professor at the University of Texas, San Antonio, to talk about
"Marijuana: The '60s and the '90s - What Every Family Should Know," at 7
p.m. Tuesday at COD's student resource center.

About 200 professionals will hear the same talk Wednesday.

"Clearly, there is a very strong interest in the topic," Palanca said,
because addiction to the drug is surfacing more often in the suburbs.
"It's manifesting itself in spades among children."

Part of the problem, he said, is a lax attitude toward the
drug.

"Parents who were abusers of alcohol or used pot often times perceive
it as a phase their son or daughter will grow out of," he said. "They
are not going to grow out of it without some intervention."

Since marijuana is so potent, it is more debilitating. Also, if it's
taken with Ritalin, the effect is even more powerful, Palanca said.

"Studies have proven it has a long-term effect on memory," said
DuMeg's Lemming. The drug also can hinder normal development, he said.

Recently, DuMeg has seen a resurgence of other drugs such as LSD and
the appearance of GHB, the date rape drug, he said.

DuMeg's crime lab analyzed 88,302 grams of cannabis last year, said
Carina Campo, forensic chemist supervisor. About 1,110 grams of GHB
have been analyzed in 1998. Only four grams of the substance were
found last year.

The weights show the drugs are "out there," and supplies may be up due
to increased demand, she said.

What's more alarming to Campo is the resurgence of "window pane" LSD,
which now comes on plastic instead of paper squares.

Palanca said parents and teachers need to take a firm "no use" stance
with children when it comes to tobacco, marijuana and alcohol -
"gateway" drugs to the harder controlled substances.

Children most at risk of using drugs are those who have a parent with
an addiction, he said. Other risk factors include social isolation,
peer pressure, too much television, too much time home alone and stress.

Checked-by: Rich O'Grady