A SUMMER HAZE: SEASON WHEN MANY TEENS FIRST TRY POT

The summer months have arrived, traditionally the time when teenagers take
their first puffs of marijuana.

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health, released Friday, estimates
6,300 youths will try marijuana each day during June and July, a 40 percent
increase from the rest of the year. More than one in five of all teens who
first experiment with marijuana do so in the first two months of summer.

Daniel Angres, medical director of the Rush Behavioral Health Center in
Chicago, said the lack of structured environment that school provides could
lead to youths taking part in such risky behavior.

Kenneth Gladish, national executive director of the YMCA, said other
factors that contribute to first time marijuana use include peer pressure,
lack of adult role models and a natural inclination to take risks. He also
cited marijuana as the "entry-level drug of choice" because it is
economically accessible.

"Marijuana is riskier than we might think, especially for kids," Gladish said.

Angres said studies have shown that teens are more prone to experience
anxiety, depression and thoughts of suicide with continuous use of the
drug. He said findings also show marijuana can damage the lungs, impair
learning and decrease motivation. Other risky behaviors, such as sexual
activity and delinquency, can result from smoking marijuana.

"There is evidence that the average teenage brain is going through a
metamorphosis," Angres said. "A powerful agent like marijuana... it's
particularly bad when the brain is in a transitional time."

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy's Youth Anti-Drug
Campaign, the YMCA and the American Camping Association are starting a
campaign called "School's Out: Don't Let Your Teen's Summer Go to Pot."

The campaign provides tips for parents to help prevent their children from
using marijuana. Pointers include setting rules, monitoring the teen's
behavior, reserving time for family and encouraging participation in summer
activities.

"There's a whole range of activities and available programs for kids,"
Gladish said. "You can't expect a kid to do well alone in the house during
the summer months."

He said recreation centers, museums and churches provide constructive
activities in communities.

Marlene Coleman, president of the American Camping Association, believes
one effective way to reduce the risk of using marijuana is a camp setting.

"Every day kids make important decisions about self-image," Coleman said.
"Kids need to take risks, but they need to take healthy risks. At camp,
young people learn to be productive, to be connected and to navigate, all
skills needed to make healthy life choices such as rejecting the use of drugs."

According to federal authorities, the majority of children 13 to 17 say
that one of the main reasons they avoid marijuana and other drugs is the
fear of upsetting their parents.

"That should be enormously encouraging to the parents themselves," said Gladish.