U.S. OFFICIAL WARNS OF TEEN POT USE

WASHINGTON (AP) - The nation's drug policy director warned parents Tuesday
against trivializing the dangers of marijuana to their kids, warning them
that more teens are addicted to pot than to alcohol or to all other illegal
drugs combined.

Many parents and children have outdated perceptions about marijuana, said
John Walters, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. They
believe marijuana is not addictive, that it's less dangerous than cigarettes
or that it has few long-term health consequences.

In reality, more teens enter rehabilitation centers to treat marijuana
addiction than alcohol or all other illegal drugs combined, Walters said.

``Our effort is to correct the ignorance that is the single biggest obstacle
to protecting our kids,'' he said as he announced an advertising campaign by
his office and 17 education, public health, anti-drug and family advocacy
groups.

The national effort will include advertisements on television, radio and
print media, along with ones that will air in NFL stadiums and inside game
programs.

``For too long our nation's teens have been getting the wrong message about
marijuana. Youth popular culture has trivialized the real harm of marijuana
in kids,'' Walters said.

A common misperception is that smoking marijuana is less dangerous than
smoking a cigarette, said Surgeon General Richard Carmona. But marijuana
contains three to five times more tar and carbon monoxide than a comparable
amount of tobacco, he said. It also affects the brain in ways similar to
cocaine and heroin.

Carmona said that one out of five eighth-graders has tried marijuana - twice
as many who tried it a decade ago.

``Marijuana is not a rite of passage but a dangerous behavior that could
have serious health consequences. Parents must realize that what they tell
their children about drug use makes a difference,'' Carmona said.

Marsha Rosenbaum, director of the Safety First Project of the Drug Policy
Alliance, disputed some of Walters' figures. ``What can he possibly be
talking about?'' she said. ``Alcohol dwarfs marijuana in terms of use. It's
true that half of high school students have experimented with marijuana, but
80 percent have used alcohol.''

Rosenbaum, whose project is meant to educate parents about teenagers and
drugs, said: ``The notion that marijuana is addictive, as evidenced by
increased treatment rolls, is misleading. ... When young people are caught
they have a choice between getting kicked out of school, losing their jobs
or going to treatment. What would you do?''

The result, Rosenbaum said, is that teenagers are counted as addicts ``even
if they simply smoked a joint on Saturday night.''

The Drug Policy Alliance describes itself as independent drug policy reform
group which promotes alternatives to the war on drugs.

In Washington, Dr. Richard Corlin, former president of the American Medical
Association, urged parents, teachers, doctors and anyone else working with
children to stop sending conflicting signals.

``We must lead by example and not use marijuana ourselves or condone its use
by anyone of any age,'' he said.

``We'd rather kids didn't use drugs,'' Rosenbaum agreed. ``But we need to
educate them properly and be there to help them out if they do get into
trouble.''