NOT YOUR FATHER'S MARY JANE

Stronger Marijuana Has Scientists Concerned For Young People

The high-potency marijuana now widely available in cities and some small
towns is causing an increasing number of teenagers, and some preteens, to
land in drug treatment centers or emergency rooms, recent government
statistics suggest.

The numbers are not conclusive, experts say, but have renewed scientific
interest in and debate about the risks of marijuana use.

"The stereotypes of marijuana smoking are way out of date," said Michael
Dennis, a research psychologist in Bloomington, Ill. "The kids we see are
not only smoking stronger stuff at a younger age, but their pattern of use
might be three to six blunts -- the equivalent of three or four joints each
- -- just for themselves, in a day. That's got nothing to do with what mom or
dad did in high school. It might as well be a different drug."

Although overall marijuana use in minors has declined slightly since the
mid-1990s, recently released statistics from hospitals and treatment
centers suggest that the drug is causing many young users serious problems.

Late last year, federal health officials reported that the number of
marijuana-related emergency room visits for ages 12 to 17 had more than
tripled since 1994, to 7,535 in 2001, the latest year for which figures
were available. The most common reason for the visit was an "unexpected
reaction" to the drug. "Overdose" was cited in 10 percent of these cases,
"chronic effects" in 6 percent and "accident or injury" in 4 percent.

The latest U.S. Health and Human Services Department data show that
marijuana or hashish use is, by far, the most common reason why children
ages 12 to 17 were placed in licensed public or private treatment centers,
accounting for more than 60 percent of reported cases in 2001.

In an analysis published recently, researchers at Columbia University's
National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse calculated that the
treatment rate for cannabis dependence or habitual use in youngsters had
jumped 142 percent in the past decade.

It is too early to tell whether these statistics truly represent a surge in
habitual use, experts said. Admission figures could be skewed by changes in
the way some states collect data and report it to the federal government.
Forced drug treatment is also a way many teens avoid juvenile detention
after a drug arrest.

Most children who smoke marijuana are occasional users, experts said. And
there is little evidence that a heavy marijuana user who quits the habit
will experience the kind of physical withdrawal symptoms reported by heroin
or cocaine users.

Because marijuana seized by federal authorities today is about twice as
potent as it was in the 1980s, health officials are taking the drug more
seriously.

Although some scientists doubt that marijuana induces real physical
dependence, many top drug researchers have concluded otherwise.

"There is no question marijuana can be addictive; that argument is over,"
said Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
"The most important thing right now is to understand the vulnerability of
young, developing brains to these increased concentrations of cannabis."

More than 50 government-funded studies of cannabis are under way, and
Volkow has pledged agency funds to investigate areas related to regular
marijuana use. These include:

. Effect of cannabis on the young brain. Doctors have little understanding
of how regular marijuana use alters the biological development of the brain.

. Medications to help break the habit. Doctors have done very little
testing of drugs to ease marijuana craving.

. Genetic susceptibility. In a recent study of 198 young people, doctors in
New Zealand found that those who reported enjoying their first-time use of
marijuana were more likely to develop a habit later on. The researchers
said their findings suggested that some people might be genetically
vulnerable to addiction.