Pubdate: Sun, 14 Jul 2002
Source: Peoria Journal Star (IL)
Copyright: 2002sPeoria Journal Star
Contact:  http://pjstar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/338
Author: Stephen G. Wallace
Note: Stephen Wallace is a psychologist and the national chairman and chief 
executive officer of SADD Inc. SADD sponsors school-based education and 
prevention programs nationwide and makes available at no charge the SADD 
Contract for Life and the Opening Lifesaving Lines brochure, available by 
calling (toll-free): 877-SADD-INC.

A DEADLY TRIO: TEENS, DRUGS, SUMMER DRIVING

"Summer's lease hath all too short a date," wrote William Shakespeare, 
apparently foreshadowing the all-too-soon approach of fall. But a short 
summer season is time enough still for even the most unlikely of kids to 
find trouble in the most likely of places: cars and roadways. Two 
consecutive reports from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 
make clear the devastating spike in teen fatalities during June, July and 
August.

With adult attention focused squarely on the dangers of teen drinking and 
driving (at least among those adults who bother to focus on such matters at 
all), another - and seemingly more common - threat to adolescent safety 
remains largely hidden and often difficult to detect: drugging and driving.

As if rampant pot smoking by teens weren't problem enough, many of them 
believe that driving under the influence of cannabis poses little risk of 
impaired operation and virtually no chance of arrest. And that's bad news 
in one of the most dangerous times of year for young drivers.

"There's definitely a misconception that you can still drive under the 
influence of pot - that that's what differentiates pot from alcohol," a 
Massachusetts teen told me the other day, mirroring a prevalent view among 
youth that drugging and driving is a safe alternative to drinking and driving.

Let's look at the facts: Marijuana use, even a little, negatively affects 
driving performance and is linked to tens of thousands of serious 
automobile crashes, injuries and deaths each year. Marijuana and cars make 
for a combustible mix, blurring judgment and inviting catastrophe.

Even so, data from a 2002 survey of middle and high school students 
conducted by SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions/Students Against 
Driving Drunk) and Liberty Mutual Group reveal that:

At least one in three 7th-12th graders has used or are using drugs (36 
percent).

The majority of licensed teen drivers who use drugs regularly also drug and 
drive (68 percent).

Among teens, driving after drugging is more prevalent (68 percent of those 
who use drugs regularly) than driving after drinking (47 percent of those 
who drink regularly).

More than one-third of teens who are using drugs regularly are not 
concerned about riding in a car with a driver who is using drugs (38 percent).

Scary. So why is no one talking about this?

First, a preponderance of parents are unaware of the degree to which their 
teens have access to - and use - drugs.

Second, many parents who are aware seem unconcerned, perhaps 
underestimating the potency of today's weed (estimated to be 10-20 times 
stronger than the marijuana of yesteryear) or the possible consequences of 
its use.

But driving is only the quickest route to drug-induced disaster. Marijuana 
is, in fact, addictive and, much like alcohol and other drugs, it directly 
affects the brain, impairing the ability of young people to think, learn 
and grow . . . and all of this at a time when significant cognitive 
reorganization is taking place. In addition, clinicians observing kids on 
pot note increased apathy, loss of ambition, diminished ability to pursue 
long-term plans and a decline in school performance.

Marijuana is also used by more than a few teens to avoid dealing with, or 
to mask, important emotions brought about by a lot of "first time" 
situations, thus deferring problem solving and delaying healthy emotional 
development.

So what's a concerned parent to do? Plenty.

Educate yourself. There is a lot of new scientific and medical information 
available on marijuana.

Talk with your teen. Explain the physical effects of marijuana and other 
drugs, their impact on driving, and the legal, social and emotional risks 
involved with their use. Teens who have open and honest communication with 
their parents are more likely to make good choices and to report that their 
parents' methods of preventing them from using drugs are effective.

Monitor whom your teen spends time with. The likelihood of marijuana use is 
significantly higher among those teens with friends who smoke pot.

Don't give up. Teens who believe their parents provide a good influence are 
significantly less likely to ride in a car with a driver who is drunk or on 
drugs.

For many teens, summer represents a much-needed break from the stress of 
school, sports and extracurricular commitments. But freedom and fun have 
their limits. Developing a dialogue that transcends perfunctory warnings 
and reflects reasonable discipline will go a long way toward making sure 
that kids make it back to school when the fleeting lease on summer is over.
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MAP posted-by: Beth