TEENS OPT FOR MARIJUANA OVER TOBACCO

OTTAWA -- Canadian teens are more likely to smoke marijuana than
tobacco, a national survey says.

A poll of 1,250 12-to-19-year-olds suggests that getting high is once
again "mainstream," says a Health Canada representative.

The results suggest that is the greatest cannabis use among young
people in the last 25 years.

Health Canada gave a preliminary report of its findings last week to a
House of Commons committee holding hearings on a bill that would
decriminalize marijuana, but stiffen penalties against grow operations.

"Research we have conducted on 12-to 19-year-olds shows us that
marijuana has gone mainstream and is well integrated into teen
lifestyle," reported Linda Dabros, a special adviser to Health
Canada's director general of drug strategy.

Fifty-four per cent of 15-to 19-year-olds said they had smoked
marijuana more than once. When 12-to 14-year-olds were added to the
mix, however, the overall numbers dropped to 34 per cent. Cigarette
smoking, on the other hand, continues to decline among young people,
with the latest national figures showing that 22 per cent of teens
light up regularly.

"Teen marijuana smokers appear to be imitating their baby-boom
parents," said Richard Garlick, a spokesman for the Canadian Centre
for Substance Abuse.

"Youth rates are going up and are at levels that we haven't seen since
the late '70s when rates reached their peak."

The survey is one of the first that the federal government has done in
a decade to measure the extent of Canada's drug problem. The Health
Department intends to use the data for an anti-marijuana campaign that
is being developed to prevent teens from smoking their first joint.