POT TRUMPS CIGS AT HIGH SCHOOLS

It's easier to get a joint than a cigarette in Halifax high schools,
according to Health Canada and local students.

For former St. Patrick's High School student Tony Jefferies, the
explanation is simple.

"Let's just put it this way: there is no legal age when it comes to buying
pot," Jefferies said.

A random sample of students at St. Pat's last month said getting marijuana
in schools is easier than buying cigarettes.

Students Alex Pate and Andrew Marchand both said pot is readily available
in their school.

Both said pot's popularity isn't because of peer pressure, but the belief
that marijuana is less harmful than cigarettes.

But that's simply not true, said Jeanette Tobin, program and administrative
officer for Addictions Services in Halifax.

Tobin said marijuana actually has more toxins and cancer-causing agents
than cigarettes.

"There are so many myths out there in schools that need to be eliminated,"
Tobin said. "They think because there is so much talk about decriminalizing
marijuana that it must be safe.

"I was in one school where students actually thought it was legal."

A recent Health Canada study questioned kids aged 10 to 19 in Halifax,
Toronto, Montreal and Regina, and found most were smoking marijuana
regularly by ages 16 to 19.

But this is old news for Addictions Services, which have already performed
similar studies.

"The numbers of kids using marijuana has phenomenally increased since we
did our first study in 1991," Tobin said.

"The numbers of kids smoking marijuana has gone from 17 per cent to 37 per
cent in 2002."

Tobin said the majority of teens referred to Addictions Services are
marijuana-related cases.

"And we're just seeing the tip of the iceberg," she added.

The increase in demand from teachers and parents for information on
marijuana is another sign of its growing popularity, said Tobin, who also
educates teachers and parents on the subject.

Tobin is training more youth health co-ordinators in schools about
marijuana facts so they will be more comfortable counselling students about
the drug.

Health Canada will also begin a separate campaign to educate the students
on health risks related to marijuana.

The program is expected to begin around March, and will include a website
for teens and booklets with facts on marijuana.