NEXT GENERATION HAS GONE TO POT

Author says addiction is on the rise as more kids experiment

CHILDREN as young as nine are experimenting with marijuana, a new book
says.

Medical author Raelene Allen says the drug has become a serious
addictive problem among teenagers.

Allen has billed her book, Gone to Pot, as a guide to what every
parent should know about young people and marijuana.

She spent two years investigating the extent of marijuana dependence
in young people after hearing "very worrying" stories from parents
concerned about their children's use of the drug.

"Young people aged anywhere from nine or 10 upwards may be affected,
and most commonly adolescents begin experimenting at 12 or 13," Allen
says.

"I found this prevalent attitude, even among health workers, that pot
is okay."

"They dismiss it as not being as bad as alcohol and tobacco, but I
don't think that's true any more. Something has changed."

Statistics and anecdotal evidence bear out those views.

More than 50 per cent of teenagers under the age of 18 have tried
marijuana, and 75 percent of those go on to become regular users,
smoking at least once a month.

Police reports confirm there has been an increase in the availability
of high-potency marijuana, with the most commonly smoked part of the
plant - the "heads" - containing a concentration of THC (the active
ingredient) between seven and 14 per cent.

"In the past five years, suddenly it's everywhere - it's in every high
school," Allen says.

"Dealers are very well organised - they all have mobile phones and are
easily contactable."

Teenagers who smoke the drug on a regular basis are also taking more
"hits" than their social-smoking parents used to in the 1960s.

"The five to 10 per cent of our youth who go on to abuse marijuana are
using it in a far more addictive way," Allen says.

"They are smoking when they get up in the morning, and to get to sleep
at night."

A messy bedroom, hours spent on the phone and rebellious attitudes may
typify the average teenager, but Allen says these factors, combined
with give-away signs such as deteriorating school performance, truancy
and missing household implements, could indicate a chronic user.

Concerned that parents are alerted to a child's addiction only when
it's much too late, Allen also cautions them to talk to school
officials and other parents if suspicions are raised. "The best thing
to do is to talk to your child's friends' parents and find out what
the goss is on your kids," she says.

"You always hear kids talking about what other kids are up to, and
once asked about that, parents will generally tell you what they've
heard."

Allen says many parents become angry when they discover their children
have been wagging school because of marijuana use but the school has
not followed up.

But she says schools shouldn't have to take the blame.

"Why should schools bear the brunt of the problem? This is a social
issue."

"There's a frustrating lack of infrastructure to deal with young
people using pot chronically."

"We need a multi-faceted approach involving juvenile justice,
rehabilitation and education."

Allen says it's not her intention to scare parents into spying on
their children or looking for signs that aren't there.

But she's concerned that the increasing incidence of marijuana
dependency will result in thousands of unemployable, unmotivated and
unsalvageable young people.

"I'm not a zero-tolerance person. We have choices, but surely our duty
is to enable our children to grow up healthy and adjusted."

Gone to Pot, by Raelene Allen, is distributed by Vital Books at $29.
Call (1-800)242-912.

Parents tell of their confusion

I CAME from a straight background but a lot of people I worked with

had smoked marijuana and when I started talking about my son, they
said "don't worry, he will get over it." But he didn't I find it
really hard because he won't argue. He just says "you don't
understand" and walks away. I thump the kitchen table. I say, "well,
make me understand." But he doesn't want to talk about it, - Mother of
a 19-year-old marijuana user.

HIS mood can change so quickly, from being pleasant and polite to
being rude and aggressive. The swearing really gets to me. I've been
so embarrassed by his outbursts, often in the middle of a shopping
centre. He throws things, yells obscenities, he's really out of
control. Everyone stares and I just don't know what to do - I fear for
him, he has no idea how that sort of behaviour upsets people.

- - Mother of 15-year-old user

RIGHT in the middle of all these problems we were having with Ben, my
car was stolen. It happened in the middle of the day, while I was at
work. It was stolen from our driveway. I didn't know what to think, it
just seemed like one more thing going wrong, I really didn't want to
believe he might have stolen it. But since then I've heard some
hair-raising stories from other parents about their kids stealing cars
and joyriding.

My car was found weeks later sitting in a street near his old high
school. The starter motor was dead, so thankfully they hadn't been
able to get it going once they stopped.

- - Father of a 15-year-old marijuana user.

HOW many of these apply to your child?

o Their school performance has deteriorated.

o They have been skipping school regularly or have been suspended.

o They have been expelled from school or you moved them to a new one,
believing the school was
the problem.

o They have become much more aggressive and often use foul language.

o They have an attitude problem - it's always someone else's fault

o Their room is smelly and dirty.

o They spend long hours on the phone, making many calls at a sitting.

o Your garden hose has no nozzle and/or is getting shorter.

o The tea strainer, kitchen foil or scissors disappear and turn up in your
child's room.

Checked-by: Rich O'Grady