TEENS USE POT TO TREAT AILMENTS

Not all teenagers smoke marijuana with the goal of getting high. A new
study by researchers at the University of B.C. found some teens use
marijuana to relieve or manage health problems when other therapies
have not worked.

The study, led by UBC Okanagan professor Joan Bottorff, involved
in-depth interviews with 63 teenagers who use marijuana. Of those, 20
said they use the drug to manage health problems such as depression,
anxiety, difficulty sleeping or pain.

"They were very clear they weren't smoking to get high, but they were
really smoking marijuana because they needed to," Bottorff said
yesterday in an interview.

"They talked about how they didn't smoke too much. They tried to
adjust their dosage so they just smoked enough to deal with their
symptoms. And the majority usually smoked by themselves."

Many of the teens had tried conventional treatments for their health
problems, but said the medication didn't work or they didn't like the
side-effects."