AFTER ALCOHOL, POT IS TEENS' TOP DRUG

WATERLOO REGION -- Pot, herb, weed, boom, Mary Jane, grass, dope, ganja
- --there are more than 200 slang words for marijuana, a drug used for
centuries for its medicinal properties and now the second-most commonly
used drug among Ontario's teens.

"We have more kids smoking marijuana than tobacco," said Pat Fisher, health
promotion officer for Waterloo Region, whose prime job is public awareness
and injury-prevention. Only alcohol tops marijuana as the teens' drug of
choice.

A 2001 survey by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health found 30 per
cent of Ontario students between Grade 7 and OAC used marijuana at least
once. Rates are significantly higher among boys than girls.

Asked if they used any substance more than six times in the previous year,
16 per cent said yes to marijuana, compared to three per cent for any other
drug.

Marijuana, hashish and hash oil all come from the cannabis plant, whose
psychoactive ingredient delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) alters mood and
distorts perception.

While some people use cannabis regularly, cannabis itself does not create a
physical dependence.

However, Fisher said, smoking marijuana can have significant, life-long
effects. "The harm is being charged and getting a criminal record."

A first-time conviction for possession of 30 grams or less of marijuana
could result in a six-month jail sentence, a $1,000 fine and a criminal record.

Staff Sgt. Ray Massicotte of the Waterloo regional police drug unit said
police don't go after people for marijuana possession. "We're too busy
targeting other things, like the people who are dealing drugs," he said.
"We usually come across them with possession when they're committing
another offence, like shoplifting."

While cannabis may not create physical dependence, there is a risk of
psychological dependence if users come to rely on marijuana to help them
relax or cope.

"I wish I never started smoking drugs," said Casey Simpson, 17, of
Kitchener. "I have to actually lean on drugs. When I smoke a joint, I learn
better at school."

Lee Horton, a Kitchener psychotherapist with Southern Ontario Counselling
Centre, works with young people between the ages of 14 and 19, some of whom
use marijuana or hash every day, spending $225 a week or more on it.

"They're suffering from low self-esteem, physical abuse issues and peer
pressure," Horton said. "They don't have the skills to get in touch with
their feelings and decide to take action."

One of her approaches with them is to break down the cost of the habit and
focus on the money the teens could save if they didn't use drugs. "All of a
sudden they're seeing their daily choice in comparison with their life's
hopes and dreams," she said.

A side-effect of pot use is a lack of concern for the future, an effect
that is especially harmful for young people at a time when they're making
choices about the direction of their lives.

Before he started using marijuana and crack cocaine three years ago,
Simpson had many dreams about where life might lead him. Today, addiction
means his attention goes to coping day by day, rather than pondering what
is now an unstable future.

In his wallet, Simpson carries a collection of "dime bags" -- miniature
plastic bags with pictures of bulldogs, Playboy bunnies or basketballs that
hold marijuana valued at $10 to $20, depending on its quality. They're
available everywhere, including schools and arcades, he said.

A dime bag is enough for one or two joints, Massicotte said.

A joint or a nail is one way of smoking marijuana, which is a green-gray
mix of dried, shredded buds from the female cannabis plant. Pipes, bongs,
hookahs or blunts (cigars emptied of tobacco and re-filled with pot) are
alternative ways to inhale the drug.

People who smoke marijuana have some control over their high because they
can stop when they reach the desired effect. When marijuana is brewed in
tea or combined with butter to bake pot brownies or "space cakes," users
are more likely to experience hallucinations because it's harder to control
the amount eaten and therefore its effect.

Hashish can be brewed in "bots" (bottles with holes in the bottom), toked
with hot knives (heating the tips of two knives on a stove element and
cooking hash between them) or combined with tobacco or marijuana in cigarettes.

FACTS ON MARIJUANA

What is it?

Marijuana comes from the flowering tops (buds) and leaves of a dried female
cannabis plant. It ranges in texture from fine (resembling oregano) to
coarse (resembling loose tea).

Hashish or hash is dried resin from the flowers and leaves of the female
cannabis plant. More potent than marijuana, it is sold in soft or hard
blocks and ranges in colour from light brown to black.

Effect

In small quantities, cannabis is relaxing, yet stimulating to the senses.
Senses and appetite are enhanced. People who use the drug report it makes
music sound better and colours brighter. They feel increased body awareness.

In larger quantities (or with stronger strains), the effects can be similar
to those caused by hallucinogens such as LSD or mushrooms.

Nausea, anxiety, slowed reactions and paranoia can also be side-effects of
marijuana use.

Signs of marijuana use

If a child is high, he or she may be dizzy, have trouble walking, be
giggling for no reason, have very red, bloodshot eyes and trouble
remembering what just happened.

Parents should watch for withdrawal, depression, fatigue, carelessness
about grooming, hostility and deteriorating relationships with family and
friends.

Changes in academic performance, increased absenteeism, lack of interest in
favourite activities and changes in eating or sleeping habits could be
related to drug use. However, these signs are also typical of teens simply
being teens.

Drug paraphernalia includes pipes, rolling papers, incense (to mask
tell-tale odour) and eye drops.

SEMINARS

Drug awareness presentations are scheduled at several area schools in the
new year:

Tuesday, Jan. 14: Monsignor Doyle Catholic Secondary School, Cambridge,
6:30 p.m., as part of orientation for parents of Grade 8 students.

Wednesday, Jan 15: St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School, Cambridge, 6:30
p.m. in cafeteria, also as part of Grade 8 orientation.

Tuesday, Feb. 11: MacGregor Public School, Waterloo, 7 p.m., public welcome.

Wednesday, Feb. 26: Glenview Park Secondary School, Cambridge, 7 p.m.,
public welcome.

Monday, March 24: Waterloo-Oxford District Secondary School, 7 p.m., public
welcome.

To arrange a drug awareness presentation at your school, contact Pat Fisher
at the Region of Waterloo Public Health, 883-2000, or Pete Barbuto at
Waterloo regional police, 653-7700 ext. 869.