DRUG OFFICIAL WARNS OF RISKS OF MARIJUANA

WASHINGTON -- The nation's drug policy director warned parents Tuesday
against trivializing the dangers of marijuana to their children, saying
more teenagers are addicted to pot than to alcohol or all other illegal
drugs combined.

Many parents and children have outdated perceptions, said John Walters,
director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. They think that
marijuana is not addictive or that it's less dangerous than cigarettes.

In reality, more teens enter rehabilitation centers to treat marijuana
addiction than alcohol or all illegal drugs combined, he said as he
announced an advertising campaign by his office and 17 education, public
health, anti-drug and family advocacy groups.

Marsha Rosenbaum, director of the Safety First Project of the Drug Policy
Alliance, disputed some of Walters' figures. "Alcohol dwarfs marijuana in
terms of use," she said.