MARIJUANA TREATMENT RISING, STUDY FINDS

WASHINGTON - Treatment rates for marijuana nearly tripled between 1992 and
2002, the government says, attributing the increase to greater use and
potency.

"This report is a wake-up call for parents that marijuana is not a soft
drug," said Tom Riley, a spokesman for the White House Office of National
Drug Control Policy. "It's a much bigger part of the addiction problem than
is generally understood."

Advocates of legalizing marijuana disagreed, saying the trend largely was
related to an increase in marijuana arrests and had almost nothing to do
with more people seeking treatment because they thought their own health was
at risk.

"They have the option of going into treatment for marijuana or going to
jail," said Paul Armentano, senior policy analyst for the National
Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

FBI records show a substantial increase in marijuana-related arrests during
the decade studied, from about 340,000 in 1992 to about 700,000 in 2002.

The study on treatment rates was conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration, which estimated that 41 states had an
increase in the number of people who sought treatment for marijuana use
during the decade studied.