POT FINDS FRESH CROP OF USERS

DANBURY - College senior Michael Burnett, who describes himself as an
''infrequent'' pot smoker, says young adults who inhale marijuana regularly
aren't doing anything wrong.

In fact, he contends, they are only acting naturally.

''Marijuana comes from the Earth and has proven medical benefits,'' said
Burnett, 23, one of several hundred who attended the Johnes Festival '98 at
Western Connecticut State University in Danbury Saturday to call for the
reform of marijuana laws. ''People who use it responsibly for recreation
probably aren't going to get hurt.''

Burnett's relaxed attitude, experts say, is fairly typical of a new
generation of pot smokers who are rediscovering marijuana in alarming
numbers.

A relatively small but enthusiastic group of those true believers joined
Burnett at the event, which had the ''free and easy'' feeling of a Grateful
Dead concert and featured a staggering display of shaggy hair and tie-dye.

Despite Saturday's frivolity, concern about a resurgence of popularity in
marijuana, particularly among adolescents and teens, has state and federal
legislators very worried. So much so, in fact, that The Partnership for a
Drug Free America recently lauched an ad campaign targeted at nipping
cannibis use in the bud.

New statistics suggest the lawmakers' concerns are justified.

A partnership study released last week found that parents of the ''baby
boom'' generation are seriously underestimating the presence of drugs in
their children's lives.

The study also found that children whose parents talk to them about the
dangers are better off than those who don't. Only 28 percent of the teens
polled, however, said they had had such conversations.

Among college students, marijuana use has dipped a bit since its peak in
the late 1970s and early 1980s, but various studies indicate a fair number
of young people still light up a joint occasionally, according to David
Musto, Yale professor of the history of medicine and psychiatry.

''If you look at the history of pot use in America, it goes up and down,
but among college students there always seems to be a lot of kids willing
to experiment with it,'' Musto said.

One big reason: Pot is still among the most economical ''highs'' around.
For about $5, enough for two marijuana cigarettes, the effects can last an
entire day, said Katurah Abdul-Salaam, a supervisor in the substance abuse
unit of the Connecticut Mental Health Center in New Haven. The effects of
cocaine and crack, Abdul-Salaam added, are much shorter, lasting only about
20 minutes.

Despite the claims of some that pot is among the least harmful
''recreational'' drugs, experts say new scientifc research suggests its
harmful effects may be more profound than anyone previously thought.

Patricia Kitchen, a nurse clinician in the Hospital of St. Raphael
substance abuse unit, said that is the result of pot's unique chemical
properties, which allows it to be stored in the body's fat cells for up to
three days after it is smoked.

Acute pot usage, Kitchen said, slows reflexes, reduces peripheral vision,
impairs judgment and decreases concentration. Chronic pot users, Kitchen
said, run the risk of developing ''amotivational syndrome,'' which she
described as a profound lack of desire to achieve.

Pot also has been shown to have adverse effects on the brain and
reproductive organs.

While much of this information has been around for years, Kitchen said it
bears repeating in the wake of a growing attitude among pot users that a
drug that comes from the earth can't be all bad.

''You hear people saying that a lot these days - that pot is a natural
high, which suggests that somehow it isn't as bad for you,'' Kitchen said.
''That simply isn't true.''

Few of those who attended Saturday's festival at Western Connecticut State
University were buying into those words.

For them, and their supporters, the issue of marijuana use is a ''free
speech'' issue. Legalizing marijuana, they argue, will eliminate organized
crime and save taxpayers the billions of dollars that are spent each year
in the government's crackdown on pot and other illegal drugs.

''The current approach to the problem clearly isn't working,'' said Jospeh
Grabarz, executive director of the Connecticut Civil Liberties Union, an
adviser to the organizers of Saturday's festival. ''Our position is that
the government shouldn't be telling you what kind of things you can and
cannot put into your body.''

(c) 1998, New Haven Register