DRUG CZAR WARNS: SUMMER DAYS OFTEN BECOME SUMMER HAZE

Nearly a Quarter of First-Time Teen Pot Use Occurs During June and July

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The living's a little too easy in the summer time,
according to national drug czar John Walters, who estimates that 5,800
teens each day will smoke marijuana for the first time this month.

"Many parents don't know that new teen marijuana use spikes in the summer
months," Walters said Tuesday while launching the "School's Out: Don't Let
Your Teen's Summer Go to Pot" anti-drug campaign. "And most baby-boomer
parents do not understand the science we now have that marijuana use can
produce drug dependency."

According to the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse of 2002,
nearly a quarter of all first-time teen marijuana use occurs during
June and July. Nearly 40 percent of all youngsters aged 12 to 17 who
said they have used marijuana at least once said they had their first
experience during the four-month period from May through August.

"We're doing a better job these days of occupying our young people.
But we have been letting them down in the summer," Walters said. "We
are trying to give people a sense of urgency about this."

Youthful experimentation with drugs, tobacco and alcohol is most
likely to occur during unsupervised time when teens are alone or with
their peers. A study conducted in 2001 for the YMCA found unsupervised
teens are three times more likely to use illegal drugs than are others
who spend most of their summers in programs under adult leadership.

"It's as simple as this: During the summer, too many kids in too many
places are left too alone too frequently," said Kenneth Gladish,
executive director of the national YMCA.

Gladish urged parents to call one of the 2,400 local Y's in America to
learn of the structured summer enrichment programs available to keep
teens engaged, entertained and, most importantly, busy.

Parents may also want to reconsider that old cliche: summer camp.

"We are partners in parenting and we create safe environments so kids
can practice growing up," said Maria Coleman, president of the
2,300-member American Camping Association. "Camp is like a giant
erasure. ... Kids can shed the labels they have acquired. It's really
a place where they can re-invent themselves."

There is even hope for kids who eschew these summer traditions.

"When you don't find kids at the 'Y' or at camp, you are likely to
find them hanging out at the mall. It's a valuable venue to distribute
materials to help kids live drug-free lives," said Patra Maruca, vice
president of The Mills Corp., manager of 22 retail malls.

The "School's Out" campaign will distribute anti-marijuana materials
at shopping centers and in movie theaters throughout the nation in the
coming weeks, Maruca said.

"My grandmother used to say that idle minds are the devil's workshop,"
Walters said. "We can create a better environment by all working together."