2001-2003 COMPARISON: TEEN POT USE DECLINES

States Where Medical Marijuana Is Legal Have Steepest Drop

CARSON CITY -- Teenagers' use of marijuana is dropping more
dramatically in the 10 states where medical marijuana is legal,
including Nevada, than in states without such laws, according to a
survey.

The Marijuana Policy Project found that current and lifetime marijuana
use by teenagers in Nevada has dropped significantly since 2001, when
sick people with their doctors' permission and a state registration
card were allowed to grow marijuana.

Karen O'Keefe, legislative analyst for the project, said Tuesday the
study is not meant to show a causal link between medical marijuana
laws and teen use, but to debunk arguments of those who contended the
availability of medical marijuana would increase pot use by teens.

"The common message against medical marijuana has been it sends the
wrong message to children," she said. "That is not true. In every
state we have studied, teen use has dropped since the passage of
medical marijuana laws."

O'Keefe and Mitch Earleywine, a psychology professor at the State
University of New York in Albany, checked state youth behavior risk
surveys. Nevada's Department of Education conducts that study every
two years.

O'Keefe said Nevada's survey in 2001 found 26.6 percent of teens had
used marijuana at least once in the previous 30 days. The 2003 survey
found that percentage had dropped to 22.3 percent.

The Nevada drop of 16 percent, compares with a national decline of 6
percent, according to O'Keefe. Results of the 2005 risk survey will be
released in the spring.

The project also found an 8 percent drop in lifetime marijuana use by
teens between 2001 and 2003. The national drop was 5 percent.

The organization noted 50.8 percent of Nevada teens said in 2001 they
had used marijuana at least once. That fell to 46.6 percent in 2003.

Declines in teen use have been larger in states where medical
marijuana laws have been in effect the longest, according to the
project. In California, current teen marijuana use is down 47 percent
since 1996, when voters legalized medical marijuana.

The organization bankrolled petition drives to place on Nevada
election ballots proposals to legalize marijuana. About 39 percent of
Nevada voters in 2002 backed the organization's question to allow
adults 21 and older to possess as much as three ounces of marijuana.

In November 2006, Nevada voters will cast ballots on a similar
initiative backed by the organization that would legalize one ounce of
marijuana and increase penalties for driving under the influence of
the drug.

Sandy Heverly, the STOP DUI director in Southern Nevada, said it could
be a coincidence that teen drug use dropped more in states with
medical marijuana laws.

"The study does not consider the efforts youth organizations in many
states, including Nevada, have carried out in educating youths about
the dangers of drugs," said Heverly, who has led the drive against the
Marijuana Policy Project's petitions. "That could be a significant
factor in the drop."