Pubdate: Fri, 13 May 2005
Source: Village News (CA)
Copyright: 2005 The Village News Inc.
Contact:  http://www.thevillagenews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3641
Author: Cynthia R. Fena, RDH MT
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/campaign.htm (ONDCP Media Campaign)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?195 (Partnership for a Drug Free
America)

HARD FACTS ABOUT MARIJUANA GRAB PARENTS' ATTENTION

Warm Weather And Summer Vacation Are Just Ahead.

When our community's teens and college students get out of school for
a wonderful summer, "Party Time" will begin, with overeating,
overdrinking and drug use more evident.

In the interest of "Healthy Living," I always want to keep my readers
informed of the latest `facts.' There is a new advertising campaign,
themed "Facts for Parents," by the Office of National Drug Control
Policy's (ONDCP) National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign (USA) to
provide scientific facts about marijuana risks and harms for parents
of teens.

The ads, created by BBDO Worldwide in collaboration with the
Partnership and ONDCP, incorporate data from the latest scientific
research that demonstrates how marijuana harms teens' minds and bodies.

These ads are and will appear in the New York Times, USA Today, the
Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Business Week,
Time and Smithsonian magazines.

These ads include facts such as: Kids who are regular marijuana
users often have shortened attention spans, decreased energy and
ambition, lack of judgment, high distractibility and impaired ability
to communicate and relate to others -- a set of symptoms called "a
motivational syndrome" by psychologists. Kids who regularly smoke
marijuana often make risky decisions about driving or sex. Using
marijuana can lead to symptoms of depression and thoughts of suicide.
Regular marijuana use can lead to breathing problems and greater
exposure to cancerous chemicals than from tobacco.

In fact, one marijuana cigarette can deliver four times as much
cancer-causing tar as one tobacco cigarette. Marijuana today is
more than twice as powerful on average as it was 20 years ago. It
contains twice the concentration of THC, the chemical that affects the
brain.

Fewer than one in three teens (approximately 30 percent) say they have
learned a lot about the risks of drugs at home, according to the 17th
annual Partnership Attitude Tracking Study conducted by the
Partnership for a Drug-Free America (the Partnership). The number of
parents who report never talking with their children about drugs has
doubled in the past six years, from six percent in 1998 to 12 percent
in 2004. Recent research shows that today's parents are significantly
less likely to be talking with their teens about drug use. In part,
this is due to their lack of understanding about today's marijuana.
More information about the effects of marijuana use and its signs and
symptoms, as well as advice for parents on keeping kids drug-free, can
be found on the Media Campaign Web site for parents at
www.theantidrug.com. Parents can also call the National Clearinghouse
for Alcohol and Drug Information at 1-800-788-2800 for free resources.

Remember to always check with your physician before incorporating any
changes in exercise or diet. For more information on the ONDCP National
Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, visit www.mediacampaign.org.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin