DOPE OK, SOME PARENTS SAY

ALMOST one in five parents believe it is acceptable for their children to
experiment with marijuana.

That is one of the surprise findings of Australian research, which has also
found 40 per cent of teenagers have been offered marijuana in the past
year. And 20 per cent were prepared to accept the offer of a joint or a
bong if their friends were smoking marijuana, too.

The figures are in a major Federal Government study into drug use, seen by
the Herald Sun.

Prime Minister John Howard commissioned the research to test the
effectiveness of the Government's 2001 anti-drug ad campaign.

The survey of 1800 parents and more than 600 young people casts light on
the prevalence of drugs among the young.

Of those aged 15 to 17, 15 per cent reported being offered ecstasy in the
past year. One in 10 were offered speed and 9 per cent LSD. One in 20 were
prepared to take ecstasy or speed if their friends did.

About 17 per cent of parents felt "experimentation with marijuana is OK",
but agreed they would be concerned about their children trying other drugs.

The study also found parents seemed overly optimistic about their
children's approach to drugs.

Just 2 per cent felt their children would take ecstasy while 5 per cent of
children said they would take it if offered by friends.

And only one in 10 parents of a child aged 12 to 17 thought their child
would take marijuana.

The research was done before and after the $20 million ad campaign that
urged parents to talk to their children about the issue. One ad showed a
girl who had drifted into prostitution and a teen being zipped into a body bag.

Mr Howard recently alluded to the research while criticising plans for a
prescription heroin trial.

"There is clear evidence that the campaign, the pamphlet booklet campaign
that we launched more than a year ago into Australian homes, has been
extremely successful," he said.

"A large majority of parents have indicated that material helped them and
encouraged them to talk more to their children about the drug issue."

The survey found 48 per cent of parents took action because of the campaign
and 97 per cent recognised the themes in the ads.

But drug law reform advocate Tony Trimmingham, who helped develop the
campaign, said the ads were an opportunity lost.

He welcomed the public awareness figures but said the message should have
been more about listening and communicating.