READING THE SMOKE SIGNALS FROM BEHIND THE SCHOOL

Not only is smoking not allowed in school, what students are puffing should
be of community concern.

Last week, a police report of two elementary school students caught smoking
marijuana on school property sent up smoke signals. How you interpreted
them is the question of the day.

Some might have thought the report worthy of the 'believe it or not' files
because the pair lit up under an air intake fan which quickly led them to
them being caught and suspended from school. Others read a far more serious
societal issue between the lines.

The foundation of concern is laid not with the school, but with the
community at large. The age of the students led police to believe the
school could take better action than our justice system. Unfortunately,
this is only partially true.

The societal issue starts with questions of the drug's availability to
youngsters and the fact people may be trivializing the use of marijuana
with children. And yes, the two could very well be intertwined.

The 2001 Northwestern Ontario Student Drug Use Survey showed increased drug
use among students, generally in socially acceptable drugs - alcohol (75
per cent versus 59 per cent in 1997) and cannabis (37 per cent versus 25.5
per cent).

Why is that when the same survey showed cigarette use, which was defined as
smoking at least one entire cigarette, increased just slightly from 28.3
per cent in 1997, to 28.8 per cent in 2001?

Skip the previous paragraph and reread about the increased drug use - make
sure to pick up on the "socially acceptable" description. Now you have an
answer.

While cigarettes are regulated by the government, there is no ID required
to buy marijuana, nor is there a huge sin tax on it.

According to the Young Offenders Act, fines for being caught holding
marijuana are usually no more than $50, a warning or community service.
And, if you think adult punishments are any more of a deterrent, think
again. Fewer and fewer "simple possession" charges even proceed to trial.

You can bet the suppliers on the street have made that a selling point, too.

In fact, you'll hear it being argued governments are waiting for the right
time to "legalize" marijuana use in Canada. This is simply not true. There
are factions who have floated trial balloons about "decriminalizing" the
use of marijuana and have thus played havoc with the courts.

Any possible legal change in Canada and a proliferation of media content
from the United States where several states are considering various
initiatives regarding marijuana use have also sent a confusing message to
our children.

The prevalence of the drug throughout the country has contributed to both
an acceptance of its use among some adults and adolescents and a perception
that marijuana use is not harmful.

And whose fault is that? Not the schools. No, parents have outdated
perceptions about marijuana and their children pick that up.

Both believe marijuana is not addictive, that it's less dangerous than
cigarettes, or that it has few long-term health consequences.

That's all wrong according to U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona.

A common misperception is that smoking marijuana is less dangerous than
smoking a cigarette, said Carmona. But marijuana contains three to five
times more tar and carbon monoxide than a comparable amount of tobacco, he
said. It also effects the brain in ways similar to cocaine and heroin.

The consequences are telling. Admissions to publicly funded treatment
facilities for marijuana/hashish use in the U.S. increased from 142,633 to
223,597 between 1994 and 1999.

Of these admissions in 1999, more than half (57 per cent) first used the
drug by the age of 14, and 92 per cent first used by the age of 18.
Emergency department mentions of marijuana have increased steadily as well,
most notably among patients aged 12-17, for whom mentions increased more
than 140 per cent between 1994 and 2000.

Carmona said that one out of five American eighth graders has tried
marijuana - twice as many who tried it a decade ago.

"Marijuana is not a rite of passage but a dangerous behaviour that could
have serious health consequences," Carmona said.

"Parents must realize that what they tell their children about drug use
makes a difference."

Lloyd Mack is managing editor of the Daily Miner and News