MARIJUANA MISCONCEPTIONS

Parents Can Steer Children In Right Direction

The Alcohol/Drug Council is spreading the word about the dangers of smoking
marijuana.

As part of a government anti-drug campaign this summer the Alcohol/Drug
Council is aiming its message directly at children and their parents
because statistics show that marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug
among America's youth.

Each year more children enter treatment with a primary diagnosis of
marijuana dependence than for all other illicit drugs combined. About 60
percent of children who use drugs list marijuana as their drug of choice,
and between 1991 and 2001 the number of eighth-graders who used marijuana
doubled from one in 10 to one in five.

Those numbers become even more alarming now that scientists have
established that marijuana is addictive and considerably more potent than
it was decades ago.

Research shows that levels of THC (the active ingredient in marijuana) rose
from less than 1 percent in the mid-1970s to more than 7 percent in 2002.
Sinsemilla potency also increased from 6 percent to more than 14 percent.

That increased potency can also cause the smoker to make a greater number
of poor decisions. Research shows that kids who regularly smoke marijuana
are more likely to engage in risky behaviors that may put their futures in
jeopardy.

One study found that marijuana users in their later teens were more likely
to have an increased risk of delinquency, to have multiple sexual partners,
to perceive drugs as not harmful, to have problems with cigarettes, alcohol
and marijuana and to have more friends who exhibit deviant behavior.

According to the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, those ages 12 to
17 who use marijuana weekly are nine times more likely than non-users to
experiment with other illegal drugs or alcohol, five times more likely to
steal and nearly four times more likely to engage in violence.

Then there are the more immediate health risks to the body - regular
marijuana users often develop breathing problems such as chronic coughing
and wheezing because Marijuana contains the same cancer-causing chemicals
as tobacco.

Regardless of THC content the amount of tar marijuana smokers inhale and
the level of carbon monoxide they absorb are three to five times greater
than among tobacco smokers for similar amounts.

Smoking marijuana also leads to some changes in the brain similar to those
caused by cocaine, heroin and alcohol. For young users marijuana can lead
to increased anxiety, panic attacks, depression and other mental health
problems.

Marijuana also affects learning and academic achievement - researchers have
found that heavy marijuana use impairs the ability of young people to
concentrate and retain information. This may pose an even greater threat
during teens' peak learning years, when their brains are still developing.

One study found an association between an increase in adolescent marijuana
use and a decrease in the likelihood of attaining at least a high school
education. Research has also found that youths with an average grade of D
or below were more than four times as likely to have used marijuana in the
past year as youths who reported an average grade of A.

Marijuana also impairs driving because it affects alertness, concentration,
perception, coordination and reaction time - many of the skills required
for safe driving and other tasks. These effects can last several hours
after smoking marijuana.

A roadside study of reckless drivers who were not impaired by alcohol
showed that 45 percent tested positive for marijuana.

Parents Can Make A Difference Parents are the most powerful influence on
their kids when it comes to drugs - two-thirds of those age 13 to 17 say
losing their parents' respect is one of the main reasons they don't smoke
marijuana or use other drugs.

In 2000, only 7 percent of those age 12 to 17 who indicated that their
parents would strongly disapprove if they tried marijuana once or twice had
used an illicit drug in the past month. But 31 percent of youth whose
parents did not strongly disapprove reported use of an illicit drug in the
past month.

For more information about dealing with marijuana look online at
www.TheAntiDrug.com, www.LaAntiDroga.com, www.Freevibe.com,
www.TeachersGuide.org or www.TheAntidrug.com/@work.

(Sidebar)

Make A Case Against Marijuana

If Your Child Says - "Marijuana is a natural plant; how harmful could it be?"

You Can Say - "Smoking marijuana is at least as bad as smoking cigarettes,
and you already know how dangerous tobacco is to your health. Marijuana can
harm your future, too. It's proven that it's harder to concentrate and
retain information when you've been using pot."

If Your Child Says - "Marijuana is not addictive"

You Can Say - "Sixty percent of youth currently in treatment have a primary
diagnosis of marijuana. More youth enter drug treatment with a primary
diagnosis of marijuana dependency than for all other illicit drugs combined."

If Your Child Says - "Marijuana can't cause any real problems in the long term"

You Can Say - "If you smoke marijuana, you could do things that jeopardize
your future, like having sex or getting in trouble with the law. You can
lose scholarship or loan money, or get kicked off the sports team."

If Your Child Says - "Marijuana only makes you mellow"

You Can Say - "Not always. Sometimes it makes people violent. Kids who use
marijuana weekly are four times more likely to engage in violent behavior
than those who don't."

If Your Child Says - "Marijuana's not as popular as new drugs like ecstasy"

You Can Say - "More kids use marijuana than any other illicit drug by far."

If Your Child Says - "If I smoke marijuana, I'm not hurting anyone else"

You Can Say - "Marijuana trafficking is a big, international, often violent
business. The people behind it are criminals. If you're smoking pot, you
could be hurting other people."

If Your Child Says - "You smoked pot and turned out fine"

You Can Say - "This isn't about my past - it's about your future. Marijuana
is illegal and can be risky. I don't want you using the drug."

If Your Child Says - "I know straight "A" students who smoke pot"

You Can Say - "Most kids who smoke marijuana don't make straight "A"s.
Research shows that kids with an average grade of "D" or below were more
than four times more likely to have used marijuana in the past year as kids
who reported an average grade of "A."

If Your Child Says - "Marijuana must be good for you; it's medicine"

You Can Say - "Marijuana is not a medicine. A THC (active ingredient of
marijuana) pill is available by prescription for treating cancer and AIDS
patients, but more research needs to be done before marijuana can be used
as medicine. Remember, smoked marijuana contains over 400 known carcinogens."