STUDY FINDS MORE KIDS SMOKE POT THAN CIGARETTES - IT'S STILL ILLEGAL

Marijuana use among Penticton's youth mirrors a recent national survey that
found more teenagers smoke pot than cigarettes.

"I would agree with that study," said Danny Highley, a Pathways: Addiction
Resource Centre counsellor, who deals with drug abuse at Princess Margaret
Secondary School.

"There is so much information going into tobacco prevention and in many
ways, we have got tobacco addiction in our society on the run."

The study - a Health Canada poll released this October - found marijuana
use has reached a 25-year peak. Fifty-four per cent of 15- to 19-year-olds
said they had smoked marijuana more than once.

Cigarette smoking on the other hand continues to decline among young
people, with the latest national figures showing that 22 per cent of teens
smoke regularly, according to the survey.

Marijuana is still considered "cool" among youth, said Highley.

"And many, many parents are very permissive about marijuana and kids learn
from their parents."

Other possible reasons behind marijuana's popularity include its high
potency, availability and confusion about its legal status, said Highley.

"We are in a grey area right now with legislation," he said. "A lot of
people think marijuana is going to be legalized. What they (the federal
government) are talking about is decriminalization."

Under the proposed legislation, marijuana use would result in a fine,
rather than a criminal conviction.

"I'm actually not opposed to that, but young kids lack the sophistication
and life experience to be able to decipher those messages," said Highley.
"They think it is going to be legal anyway. A lot of them use that as a
green light to use. Unfortunately, some parents interpret that as well."

While marijuana may not cause the same physical dependencies as other
drugs, it is far from harmless and can be addictive, he said.

It can cause an emotional and mental dependence, said Highley.

"What happens is that people end up in a space in life where they feel like
they need it to function, to have a good time, sort of like some people
treat alcohol. They need it socially...and marijuana does some of that."