Pubdate: Wed, 13 Apr 2005 Source: Lake County Record-Bee (CA) Copyright: 2005 Record-Bee Contact: http://www.record-bee.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3384 Author: K.C. Meadows MARIJUANA USE BY KIDS APPEARS TO BE INCREASING Young people in Mendocino County have little trouble getting hold of marijuana and alcohol, and as they progress from middle school to high school there's less stigma attached to the use of drugs and alcohol among their peers. That's according to the 2005 Status Report on Children and Youth, released Tuesday to the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors. "Staggering" is the word used by Supervisor Jim Wattenburger when he saw a statistic in the report that indicates that between 1992 and 2003, the rate of arrest of young people between 12 and 17 for marijuana violations increased 323 percent. It just shows "the availability and the prevailing attitude of the use" of marijuana in Mendocino County, Wattenburger said. The statistics gathered by the Mendocino County Policy Council on Children and Youth also noted: That in any given 30-day period 56 percent of 11th-graders in the county have used alcohol or drugs, 44 percent of ninth-graders and 21 percent of seventh-graders. Some 43 percent of seventh-graders said they thought alcohol was "very harmful," 28 percent of ninth-graders and 39 percent of 11th-graders. Only 3 percent of any of the students felt alcohol was "harmless." Some 64 percent of seventh-graders said they thought marijuana was "very harmful," 39 percent of ninth-graders and 42 percent of 11th-grade students. Only 5 percent of the students (6 percent of ninth-graders) felt marijuana was "harmless." When it came to whether their peers disapproved of alcohol use, 49 percent of seventh-graders said there was "a lot" of disapproval among their peers. That dropped to 23 percent in ninth grade and 20 percent in 11th grade. Some 39 percent of 11th-graders said there was no peer disapproval of alcohol use at all. Asked whether peers disapproved of marijuana use, 64 percent of seventh-graders said yes, while 36 percent of ninth-graders and 32 percent of 11th-graders agreed. When it came to getting their hands on drugs and alcohol, 60 percent of 11th-graders said it was "very easy" to get alcohol, and 70 percent of them said it was equally easy to get marijuana. Students in ninth grade had a bit harder time, but 48 percent still said it was "very easy" to get alcohol, and 51 percent of them said marijuana was "very easy" to find. About a third of seventh-graders said they didn't know how difficult or easy it would be to get alcohol and drugs, but just a few said they thought it would be "very difficult." The number of arrests of juveniles for marijuana-related crimes was on an upswing from 1999 through 2001, then dipped in 2002 but went back up again in 2003 to just under 150 arrests. Arrests for other drugs is much lower, at about 40 in 2003. Some 110 juveniles were arrested in 2003 for alcohol related crimes, just under 20 of them for drunken driving. According to Undersheriff Gary Hudson, arrests of juveniles stemming from marijuana violations come primarily from loud parties, traffic stops and school authorities. The sharp rise in marijuana arrests among young people in the last 10 years was no surprise. "Not really," Hudson said. Since the passage of the medical marijuana law, Prop. 215, in 1996, "Public attitudes around marijuana seem to have become more accepting." For legitimate medical marijuana patients, that's a good thing, he said, but it also means much easier access for old and young alike. "It was easy to get before, now it's coming out of storefronts," he said, referring to the medical marijuana dispensaries cropping up, two of them in the city of Ukiah. When Sheriff Tony Craver and District Attorney Norm Vroman first established the medical marijuana ID card system in the county, there were six medical marijuana patients under age 18 who got cards. Hudson says that five of those people are now over 18 and the one remaining underage card holder is a terminal patient. The county has issued no medical marijuana ID cards to underage caregivers. Marijuana possession is still illegal for anyone without a recommendation from a doctor. Hudson said possession of marijuana is a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine. Juvenile users are treated in the juvenile justice system. Alcohol use by anyone under age 21 is a misdemeanor. Hudson said he sympathizes with communities like the city of Ukiah, which are struggling with how to regulate the growing of marijuana. "There is a place for increased local regulation," he said, noting that an imminent decision from the Supreme Court on whether medical marijuana laws trump federal anti-drug laws will have an effect on the future of legalized medical marijuana as well. - --- MAP posted-by: Josh