Pubdate: Mon, 10 Jan 2005
Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)
Copyright: 2005 The Ottawa Citizen
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawacitizen/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326
Author: Jack Aubry, The Ottawa Citizen
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?224 (Cannabis and Driving)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

MARIJUANA EASIER TO GET AT SCHOOL THAN CIGARETTES, TEENS SAY

Tobacco Harder To Buy Due To Strict Laws And Is Less Healthy, Youth Tell 
Health Canada

Marijuana is perceived as easier to access than cigarettes on Canadian 
school grounds, a newly released government report on teenagers shows.

Commissioned by Health Canada, the report was prepared for the department 
as it developed coping and refusal skills for teenagers. It said the easier 
access to marijuana is due to the legal age limit for smoking cigarettes 
and the fact that you have to buy cigarettes through traditional outlets, 
such as corner stores.

The report says teens see marijuana as less harmful than cigarettes, mainly 
because of high profile campaigns extolling the dangers of tobacco and 
second-hand smoke.

"Participants generally felt that the only exposure they had received on 
issues dealing with marijuana were communications on the legalization of 
the substance or the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes," said the 
report, which was based on focus group meetings.

It said the teens in the focus groups had a genuine sense that marijuana 
smokers don't know the adverse effects of the substance "aside from killing 
brain cells or making 'users' lazy," and don't understand the health 
reasons why they should stop smoking it.

The report is being released as the federal government promises to move on 
legislation before the House of Commons that will decriminalize small 
amounts of marijuana, as well as a companion bill that will stop people 
from driving while on drugs.

A poll released in November found Canadians are smoking marijuana more than 
ever.

The poll found almost 30 per cent of 15- to 17-year-olds and 47 per cent of 
18- and 19-year-olds had used marijuana in the last year.

Prepared by Millward Brown Goldfarb, the report is based on research from 
16 focus groups held last year in Toronto, Montreal, Regina and Halifax. 
The groups were divided into three age categories -- 10-12, 13-15 and 16-19 
- -- in each location, with the oldest group also being divided up between 
smokers and non-smokers.

Paul Dufresne, a spokesman for Health Canada, said the department is 
following the $56,000 report's recommendation to create separate messages 
regarding smoking tobacco and marijuana "because teens perceive them as two 
different things."

"Having separate messages would, in participants' minds, ensure that the 
key messages being communicated would not be missed or ignored," concluded 
the report.

Mr. Dufresne said as part of the department's information campaign on 
marijuana, it would soon be releasing an information booklet for parents 
identifying signs that a child is smoking marijuana.

The focus group report says the 10- to 12-year-old group believes that 
smoking cigarettes and marijuana is "bad for you" and understand there are 
health risks associated with both substances. Participants said they would 
say "no" if offered either substance or simply walk away.

In the older 13- to 15-year-old group, some said they had tried either or 
both substances, in most cases because they were curious or a friend had 
offered them some. Smoking among this age group appears to be occasional 
and those who had tried it said they were unlikely to do so in the future 
because they didn't see the "point."

Under the heading of "Next Steps," the report suggests there is still the 
potential to combine "messaging" on tobacco and marijuana in terms of 
coping and resiliency against using the substances: "If messaging is built 
around peer pressure situations, the messages could be built around 
'walking away' from or saying 'no' to both substances.

"Perhaps messaging could even be as bold as to focus on the friendship 
aspect in peer pressure situations (i.e. 'If your friend wants you to 
smoke, they are not your friend'), as many participants said that they 
would not be friends with people that smoke."
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MAP posted-by: Jackl