DRUG EXPERT TO DISCUSS DANGERS OF MARIJUANA

Concerns about drug use in the community and its effects on youth has
prompted the Ashland School District to bring in an expert to tell teens
and the community how marijuana use impacts an individual.

Eric Martin, M.A., CADC III, executive director of the Addiction Consumer
Certi-fication Board of Oregon and a nationally recognized expert on drug
abuse, will hold a presentation for parents and their teens on Monday night.

Martin will also talk to several different health classes at Ashland High
School on Monday and Tuesday. The presentation is sponsored by the Ashland
School District Safe & Drug Free Schools Advisory Committee.

He has 20 years experience in the addiction treatment field and has won
numerous awards, including the 2002 Oregon Governor's Award of Excellence.
Drug and alcohol abuse is an issue affecting communities across the country
and state, according to local educators.

"It's something educators have been playing close attention to for a number
of years," said Juanita Fagan, administrative chairperson for the drug free
advisory committee and principal at Bellview Elementary School.

She hopes Martin's presentation will help shed some light on marijuana use.

"I think we need to insure this information is made available to the
community," Fagan said.

Martin will cover newer research regarding the increasing potency of
marijuana. He will also discuss whether or not marijuana is really natural,
how marijuana affects your heart, brain, and memory, and how marijuana
interacts with other drugs.

Belinda Brown, school nurse at the district's elementary and middle
schools, said Martin gives a hands-on presentation that makes it easy to
understand what marijuana does to a person's brain.

"He's very knowledgeable in drug abuse and, through hands-on presentations,
shows exactly how marijuana affects your health," she said. "He's able to
present it in a way that makes sense to people."

Brown encouraged parents and teens to attend the presentation.

"It's an excellent opportunity to have parents and their teens receive the
same information at the same time," she said. "This should promote
meaningful dialogue between parents and teens and promote parent
credibility with teens."

Peer pressure using marijuana is a dilemma many local teens are facing,
Brown said.

"We realize this is an issue many teens are facing in this community," she
said. "There is a perception by some people that it's OK to use [marijuana]
when in reality it's not. It's good for the community to come, hear the
facts, and make an educated decision."

The public presentation with Martin will be held at the Ashland High School
Moun-tain Avenue Theater from 7 to 8:30 p.m on Monday.

For more information, call Juanita Fagan at 482-1310.