CAMPAIGN RIGHTLY TARGETS MARIJUANA

You may have noticed the "open letter to parents" in a large ad in The
Oklahoman this 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 them, 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 in ways similar to cocaine and
heroin. 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, 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. Among those supporting the campaign are groups
that represent family physicians, pediatricians, 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." Involved
parents, studies show, still have considerable influence over whether
their children take drugs. They must keep the lines of communication
open.