POT'S DANGERS SHOULD ALARM PARENTS

You may have noticed the "open letter to parents" in a large ad in The
Oklahoman last week about the perils of using marijuana. Or perhaps you saw
the news story about federal health officials warning people not to
trivialize the drug's dangers. But if you missed it, here's the message:

Marijuana is addictive. It is dangerous. And children and teenagers should
not be experimenting with it.

So the parents who have long thought marijuana use is no big deal, that
it's safer for rebellious teens to use than other substances like
cigarettes, should look again at the facts and change the message they're
sending to their kids.

Marijuana abuse accounts for 60 percent of teens in drug treatment,
according to information from the National Youth Anti- Drug Media Campaign
on its Web site, www.theantidrug.com. More kids are addicted to pot than
all the other illegal drugs combined.

"For too long our nation's teens have been getting the wrong message about
marijuana," John Walters, director of the Office of National Drug Control
Policy, told the Associated Press.

People who smoke pot are getting three to five times more carbon monoxide
and tar than they are with their cigarettes, the AP reported. It affects
the brain's chemistry like cocaine and heroin does. Marijuana use can lead
to problems with learning, memory retention and other academic skills; it
also affects performance, concentration, coordination and alertness even 24
hours after smoking the drug. Depression and anxiety and chronic breathing
problems also are common among users.

Many drug users start with marijuana before experimenting with other drugs.

The Office of National Drug Control Policy has launched a new campaign
against marijuana use. Supporting it include groups that represent family
physicians, pediatricians, associations of doctors, child welfare workers,
state alcohol and drug abuse directors, school nurses and others.

It's good to see this country's health leaders focusing on the dangers of
experimenting even with popular drugs considered more "safe," a misnomer.
Look for the upcoming campaign.

The message from parents to their children about using drugs should not be
"don't ask, don't tell," but "don't do it at all" instead. Parents still
have the most influence over whether their children take drugs. They must
keep the lines of communication open.