NUMBER OF POT USERS GETTING HIGHER: STUDY

Steve Belanger is not surprised by results of a new study that show
smoking pot is on the rise, especially for people around his age.

The 25-year-old student at Barrie's Georgian College says he's rolled
a joint or two in his life, and so have his buddies.

"I don't know anyone that doesn't do it regularly," he said, sitting
with friends at the campus pub. "It's hard to avoid it. And I see no
point of quitting -- it'll stress me out."

The Canadian Addiction Survey released a report yesterday stating that
70 per cent of people between the age 18 and 24 have tried marijuana
during their lifetime.

"Sometimes, if five friends get together, all five will each roll a
joint," said Belanger.

Sponsored by Health Canada, the Canadian Executive Council on
Addictions and the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, the study is
the first to take a look at drug and alcohol use among Canadians in a
decade.

It reports that 14 per cent of people asked have used marijuana in
their lifetime -- that's 7.4 per cent higher than in 1994 -- 45 per
cent of adults said they'd used pot at least once and that use is more
frequent among young people.

The study also showed that usage increases with education, rising to
52 per cent among people with post-secondary degrees, compared with 35
per cent of high school dropouts. Those with higher incomes are also
more likely to smoke pot.

The study also showed men are more likely to light a joint than
women.

"Some of my friends do it once in a while, but it's more guys," said
Erica DeGroot, a 22-year-old Georgian student who doesn't think pot is
bad.

She does believe it shouldn't be legalized until there are measures in
place to quantify how high someone might be, so they don't drive stoned.

"It does have a physical impact," she said.

Velma Shewfelt is a project co-ordinator for Think Clear, a Ministry
of Health initiative through the Simcoe County District Health Unit,
that deals with drug and alcohol prevention. She says although there
aren't any conclusive studies about all the negative effects of
marijuana, the drug does impair the ability to effectively drive a
car.

"It makes people spacey," she said. "That's not a good time to be
driving."

She said pot smoking is definitely on the increase.

Shewfelt speculates as to why pot smoking is on the rise: "People of
all ages have a sense that it's safe and there's nothing to worry
about," she said, because certain medicinal uses of the drug have been
publicized recently. "It's also not terribly expensive and it's
readily available."

Shewfelt thinks the prevalent advertising against tobacco has prompted
people to switch from cigarettes to joints.

Another reason may be that the stigma of getting high appears to be
non-existent at present. Georgian students weren't shy to give their
names and say they smoke up.

"There's a perception out there that everybody does it," said
Shewfelt. "So, more people are likely to report it."

Det.-Sgt. Rick Barnum, with the drug enforcement section of the OPP,
said education is the key to combatting the increase of potheads. He
added marijuana is not only bad for physical health, but it's having a
negative impact on society.

"Criminals have picked up on the fact that marijuana is sought after,"
he said. "They're capitalizing on that."