TEENS CONTINUE TO BE TEMPTED BY MARIJUANA AND COCAINE

Last week we talked about heroin and people in local communities dying of
overdoses. However, as parents, we must realize and educate our children
that marijuana and cocaine are still serious threats, along with heroin.
Parents must continually reinforce the message to their children that they
should not to use drugs of any sort. The use of marijuana leads to impaired
short term memory, perception, judgment and motor skills. Look for these
subtle signs in your children.

As an American, you are a member of a democratic society experiencing a
drug epidemic. You have seen the drug culture spread to all classes, races,
and ages of society. After two decades of information and education,
Americans are still using these drugs and it is on the rise, again.
However, young people who use drugs are doing so at a younger ages. The
younger a child begins drug use, the more likely he/she is to become
addicted. Illicit drug use by youths usually begins with marijuana and is
followed by cocaine. National surveys have shown that a student who uses
marijuana only once a year is 60 times more likely to use cocaine.

Because marijuana smoke contains more cancer causing chemicals than
tobacco, marijuana smokers can develop head, neck and lung cancer early in
life. These are some physical impacts from using marijuana. Heavy marijuana
use by males may lower the sperm count and cause abnormal sperm production.
Marijuana use by teenage girls may impair hormone production, menstrual
cycles and fertility. Children born to mothers who smoked marijuana during
pregnancy may suffer from low birth weight and other impairments known as
Fetal Marijuana Syndrome. Later in life, these children may have learning
disabilities, attention deficit disorders and hormonal irregularities

Cocaine use may create a short-lived but intense state of euphoria and
hyperactivity followed by depression and anxiety. Imprinted on memory
cells, the intense stimulation causes the brain to crave another euphoric
jolt resulting in compulsion to quickly repeat use. All forms of cocaine
are addictive.

Both Cocaine and Marijuana impair the immune system and increase the
susceptibility to sexually transmitted diseases such as genital herpes and
AIDS. Pregnant women who use even small doses of cocaine restrict blood
flow to the fetus and may give birth to babies with low birth weight, small
heads, deformed kidneys and defective urinary tracts. Addicted babies
suffer withdrawal pains and demonstrate learning and psychological
difficulties as they grow older.

We have seen what parents can do, when united, in Stoneham. If parents
would put the same energy into uniting and taking a pro-active stand
against drugs, we can defeat this epidemic. Don't think it can't happen to you.

Remember - think safety.

Officer Laurence Rotondi is the safety officer for the Stoneham Police
Department.