STUDY SUPPORTS PREVENTION STRATEGY

By introducing them to the dangers of drugs, D.A.R.E. officers hope to
start youngsters on the right track early.

It's a strategy that seems to back a new federal report released last
month, which suggests early marijuana use is linked to adult dependence of
other drugs, such as cocaine and heroin.

The report, "Initiations of Marijuana Use: Trends, Patterns and
Implications," found that 62 percent of adults 26 or older who reported
using cocaine said they tried marijuana before they were 15.

Drug Czar John Walters and Charles G. Curie of the Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration released the report, based on the
1999 and 2000 National Household Surveys on Drug Abuse.

Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control
Policy, said in a statement that every day, more than 3,000 people in the
United States try marijuana for the first time.

Among recent first-time users identified in the survey, nearly three-
quarters had first used marijuana between the ages of 13 and 18.

"The survey points to prevention strategies that communities must
implement," said SAMHSA spokeswoman Leah Young.

Other findings included:

* Prior use of alcohol or cigarettes was linked with new marijuana users.
Among people 12 to 25 who never used marijuana, those who smoked cigarettes
were more likely than nonsmokers to try marijuana within a year.

* States with the highest rates of new marijuana users were Alaska,
Colorado, Delaware, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico,
North Dakota, Vermont and Wisconsin.

* States with the lowest rates of new marijuana users included Alabama,
Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas,
Utah and Virginia.