MARIJUANA USE ISN'T HARMLESS

A champion Olympic snowboarder tests positive for marijuana. But there is
no backlash of indignation.

This same snowboarder gets back his gold medal because marijuana is not
among drugs banned by the International Olympic Committee. And there is no
outrage or loud demand for a change in the rules.

National Basketball Association players don't put their careers on the line
if they're caught with marijuana.

Why doesn't marijuana make us nervous. It's because more and more,
marijuana is making it into the mainstream. Over 70 million Americans have
tried marijuana at least once. About 5 million Americans smoke it at least
once a week.

Support for legalization of marijuana is growing on college campuses. In
1989, 16.7 percent of college freshmen felt laws against marijuana should
be repealed. By 1997, 35.2 percent wanted marijuana legalized.

Why is this? It could be that a generation that has grown up using it
doesn't believe it is all that dangerous. It could be that increased
publicity regarding marijuana's alleged medicinal value has softened its
stigma.

But if society is ready to say marijuana is OK, it has to accept the
consequences - such as heightened use of marijuana by youngsters. Indeed,
it is already happening. Lots of kids are getting the message that
marijuana is not all that bad.

Marijuana use among teens has more than doubled in recent years. Almost 10
percent of eighth-graders in Illinois have smoked marijuana in their
lifetime. And just last week, an 8-year-old was caught showing off a small
quantity of marijuana to a buddy on the playground a their Skokie grade
school.

Is all this OK? Of course it's not. The science may not be conclusive, but
there are harmful aspects to marijuana use. Marijuana impairs judgment and
memory. It can cause lapses in concentration. It is dangerous to drive
after smoking marijuana - particularly if marijuana has been used in
combination with alcohol.

Science suggests heavy marijuana users can become psychologically dependent
on the drug.

And one of the main reasons for discouraging marijuana use can be found in
a 1982 National Research Council of the National Academy of Science
Analysis of Marijuana Policy. Researchers concluded that one of the most
troubling aspects of chronic marijuana use among adolescents is that it can
stifle emotional, social and intellectual development.

It's obvious that teens aren't getting the message, however. And that
should tell parents and those in the anti-drug campaign that it's time to
do something different. Do we really want youngsters to think marijuana is
harmless. That is what's happening.