Special Report

MARIJUANA USE ON THE RISE

Jill* was 9 years old the first time she smoked marijuana.

While watching her stepbrother and sister doing it, she decided to try.

After that first time, she continued smoking at least a couple of times a
month, getting the drug free of charge from friends and family members. She
would smoke at home with friends and often alone when no one else was around.

Now 16, the Silvis, Ill., teenager already has been in jail twice because
of marijuana use -- once for five months, then again for eight months.
Currently an outpatient at the Riverside Alcohol & Drug Treatment facility
in Rock Island, she said jail was the only reason she stopped using the drug.

Alcohol and drug counselors nationwide say they are seeing an increase in
marijuana use among adolescents and teenagers and are looking for ways to
further enforce the anti-drug message.

In an evaluation of 311 adolescents and teenagers between the ages of 12
and 18 referred to the Center for Alcohol and Drug Services, or CADS, in
Davenport between July 2002 and June 2003, 67 percent said they had used
marijuana -- compared to 53 percent in the same survey taken the year
before, between July 2001 and June 2002. More than half had used marijuana
and alcohol together, and nearly 60 percent were recommended for some type
of substance abuse treatment program.

"The trend is that marijuana use is increasing and some of the problem is
that kids just don't realize the psychological and physical problems from
the drug," said Jennifer Rushton, CADS program manager. "They think it's
natural because it's a plant, but it's much stronger these days than it
ever was."

Marijuana contains as much as 10 times the amount of tetrahydrocannabinol,
or THC, (the psychoactive substance found in the drug) as it did years ago.
According to data from the Potency Monitoring Project at the University of
Mississippi, the average THC content of U.S.-produced marijuana increased
from 3.2 percent in 1977 to 12.8 percent in 1997.

Teens are also smoking marijuana and getting behind the wheel of a car,
believing it has less of a physical effect on them than alcohol. One
marijuana cigarette, however, can affect driving skills six or more hours
after use, unlike one beer with an effect of about one hour. (Gender,
weight, the amount used and other factors can impact time frames). Studies
of traffic fatalities have shown that the majority of marijuana users also
have high blood-alcohol levels.

Peter, 16, from Geneseo, Ill., who is also a client in Riverside's
outpatient program, knows people who smoke marijuana and drive every day.
He used the drug for the first time at a party with his sister's friends so
they would allow him to stay. He says most teenagers believe drinking is
worse than smoking marijuana.

"Our kids are using a lot of marijuana," said Joan Hartman, Riverside's
director. "There's still the belief people have that it is not harmful and
it should be legalized."

But once someone becomes a regular user, it can be difficult to stop.
Withdrawal symptoms, including fatigue, difficulty concentrating, stomach
pains, agitation and vivid dreams, can occur, especially among chronic users.

"It stays in your system longer than other drugs," Hartman said. "It stays
in your fat cells, T-cells and the crevices of your brain and has the
opposite effect of what most people think."

Using marijuana also has been proven to decrease inhibitions and impair
judgment. In a study published in the American Journal of Public Health,
young people who admitted frequent use of marijuana in their early teens
were more likely to take risks later in adolescence, such as having sex,
using other illegal drugs or engaging in violence. Continuous use also is
associated with poorer academic performance and higher dropout rates.

According to the 2000 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration, or SAMHSA, National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, one in
six Iowa high school students reported that they currently use marijuana.
In Illinois, one in five high school students are current users, according
to the study. In the span of one month, 12,000 Iowa youth ages 12-17
reported using marijuana; 81,000 did in Illinois.

Among seven teenagers interviewed by the QUAD-CITY TIMES
(http://www.qctimes.com) about their past marijuana habits, all said they
were not warned of its dangers by their parents. One teen even said her
parents smoked marijuana regularly. All of them also had experimented with
the drug by the time they were 15, buying it easily from friends at school
or in their neighborhoods. They also said the anti-drug messages in school
did not do much to stop them from experimenting.

Statistics from The Partnership for a Drug-Free Iowa, however, show that
anti-marijuana messages resulted in a nearly 30 percent drop in teenage use
of the narcotic. Teens who learn about its risks at home are nearly 50
percent less likely to try marijuana compared with those who do not.
Cathleen Hardesty, a Drug Abuse Resistance education
(http://www.qctimes.com/nie), or DARE, officer in Moline, said they try to
target children at a young age -- fifth and sixth grades -- to "give them
our message before they get the wrong message." During a 17-week program,
DARE officers teach the children about drug and alcohol use and how to say no.

Hardesty said most teens understand that some people make bad choices and
she hopes to help them become better decision-makers. She also encourages
them to talk with their parents to keep open the lines of communication.

"I send newsletters home for parents to see so that can start some
conversations, too," she said.

For critics who question DARE's effectiveness, Hardesty insists the program
is making a difference.

"It's very easy to show statistics on how many teenagers are using drugs,"
she said. "It's very hard to measure our success and how many times they
say no.

"We know we're making progress. Go to a DARE graduation and you'll see what
we have done."

Rushton said parents and educators need to be aware of the warning signs
and take action if they suspect a child is abusing drugs.

"Bloodshot eyes, increased appetite, a marijuana odor on clothing, lack of
concentration and marijuana posters or keychains are just some of the
warning signs," she said. "We've got so many resources and information.
Parents and school systems really need to educate themselves since this is
the leading drug of choice for kids."