TEEN MARIJUANA USE FALLS, BUT SOME REMAIN WORRIED

While a new government survey shows marijuana use by teenagers is on the
decline, a panel of experts said the drug remains a big problem.

A survey of 44,000 students nationwide in grades eight, 10 and 12 found
that 14.6 percent of eighth graders said they had smoked marijuana during
the previous year - down from a peak of 18.3 percent in 1996. Among 10th
graders, 30.3 percent said they had smoked marijuana, while usage among 12
graders was 36.2 percent - in both cases, a decline from previous years.
Despite those declines, marijuana remains the most widely used illicit drug
among teenagers.

Robert Denniston, deputy director for the National Youth Anti-Drug Media
Campaign, said yesterday that while the downward trends are encouraging,
marijuana use remains a big problem for teenagers, in part because many
people believe the drug is harmless and not addicting.

"Marijuana is a serious drug with serious consequences, particularly when
young people are involved," he said at a panel discussion at the African
American Museum in Philadelphia that was aimed at highlighting the federal
government's antidrug media campaign.

According to the campaign, 60 percent of youngsters who use drugs use only
marijuana, and two-thirds of new users each year are between the ages of 12
and 17.

"One of the things that concerns us about marijuana is that the consumers
are those who have developing brains," said James Cornish, a psychiatrist
and researcher at the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Studies of
Addictions, who was part of the expert panel. He said the effects of
marijuana may be more profound on teens' brains than on those of older people.

Studies have shown that persistent use of marijuana can interfere with
attention, memory and learning, which can put teens on a path toward
academic failure. There also is research to show that youngsters who smoke
marijuana regularly are more likely to engage in violent behavior and to be
involved in crimes such as stealing and destruction of property.

One immediate worry is that the drug can cause problems with concentration,
coordination and the ability to react quickly, meaning teens who smoke
marijuana may drive recklessly and be at risk for accidents.

Guy Diamond, a psychologist and drug treatment researcher at Children's
Hospital of Philadelphia who was part of the panel discussion, said the
marijuana being sold today is more potent, with longer-lasting effects,
than the marijuana of the '70s and '80s: "The stuff kids get on the streets
is the strongest stuff you ever had," he said.

The panel discussion came two days after the release of the latest
government survey of teenagers, done annually and funded by the National
Institute on Drug Abuse, shows an overall downward trend in drug use.

The percentage of eighth graders who reported using an illegal drug during
the previous year was 17.7 percent, down from 19.5 percent in 2001 and down
from the high of 23.6 percent in 1996. Among 10th graders, drug use was
34.8 percent, down from 37.2 percent the year before. Among 12th graders,
41 percent reported having used an illicit drug in the last year, a slight
decline.

The survey did not differentiate among varying levels of drug use by young
people.

The same survey, released Monday, also looked at cigarette smoking and
alcohol use and found significant declines over the last few years.

Alcohol use reached its lowest levels since 1991, but underage drinking
remains a problem. Among eighth graders, 38.7 percent said they had used
alcohol during the previous year, while 60 percent of 10th graders and 71.5
percent of 12th graders reported drinking.