Pubdate: Wed, 09 Jul 2014
Source: Herald, The (Everett, WA)
Copyright: 2014 The Daily Herald Co.
Contact:  http://www.heraldnet.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/190
Author: Julie Muhlstein
Page: A3

DON'T DISREGARD THE RISKS TEEN POT USERS FACE

Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Bruce Weiss isn't so worried 
about legal sales of recreational marijuana to adults. As presiding 
judge for the county's Juvenile Offender Drug Treatment Court, he is 
more concerned by what he sees as "normalization" of a drug he knows 
is ruining many kids' lives.

Dr. Leslie Walker isn't worried that teens will now get marijuana 
from legal pot shops, where sales are only allowed to those 21 and 
older. As chief of the Division of Adolescent Medicine at Seattle 
Childrens Hospital and co-director of the hospital's Adolescent 
Substance Abuse Program, she is troubled by what she sees as a 
"decreased perception of risk." Walker knows weed is harming many kids' brains.

Legal buyers and sellers are celebrating as retail sales of 
recreational pot began this week in Washington. For those on the 
front lines helping teens who struggle with marijuana use, there is 
no euphoria.

"Just because something is legal doesn't mean it's safe. A lot of 
things are legal - alcohol, cigarettes, prescription drugs," said 
Walker, also a professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the 
University of Washington School of Medicine.

One of her concerns jibes with the judge's worry that pot use has 
become normal. Walker cited a survey, from several years ago, of 
teens who did not use pot. About a third of them said they would try 
weed if it were legal. "I'm concerned about that group of kids. 
They'll see it as a safer drug," Walker said.

About 30 young people are now in Juvenile Offender Drug Treatment 
Court, and hundreds have graduated from the court since its start 
about a decade ago, Weiss said. The county has separate drug courts 
for at-risk youth and for adult offenders. Drug courts offer a 
therapeutic approach to people with substance-abuse problems.

At a recent conference of the National Association of Drug Court 
Professionals, Weiss was especially bothered by ads shown there 
touting marijuana edibles. "A speaker equated it to nicotine," he 
said, recalling when tobacco advertisers used images that appealed to 
young people.

Weiss is seeing kids using pot at younger and younger ages. "I see 
kids who say they were 8 the first time they tried it," the judge 
said. "A lot of them tell you they can stop whenever they want. But 
when they try to do that, they can't stop."

The doctor knows well how hard it is for some to stop using pot. 
"It's an addictive substance. There is no question in the scientific 
literature," she said. "In some ways, it's much more sneaky than alcohol."

If someone gets drunk every day, that's clearly a real problem. "With 
marijuana, the reactions are not so extreme. They seem more relaxed. 
That word 'mellow' isn't so derogatory," Walker said.

Research shows serious risks to teen pot users, she said. Those risks 
include permanent decrease in IQ with prolonged use, anxiety, 
depression, memory problems, even psychotic episodes.

The biggest risk is the "arrest of development into mature adults," 
Walker said. "Aspirations go out the window until they get away from drugs.

"You know who the pothead is," she added. "The reason you know is 
that they're exhibiting signs of brain damage."

Weiss is involved with Reclaiming Futures, which brings juvenile 
court, substance-abuse treatment and mentors together to help break 
the cycle of drugs and crime.

Everett artist Henri Wilson is part of that program. She has taught 
art at Denney Juvenile Justice Center, and works with teens in drug 
court through a program called Promising Artists in Recovery. She 
sees kids who struggle daily with the lure of drugs, who have had 
goals in school and life scuttled by weed - a drug often described as 
a harmless plant.

Wilson, too, is worried by the no-big-deal notion that legalization 
gives kids. "We give them the message that it's a less serious issue 
than it is," she said. "It does affect the development of teenage 
brains. It damages them."

She hopes some of the money the state nets through pot sales will 
fund recovery programs for teens. And for all those happy pot 
smokers, Wilson has a reminder.

"Don't forget about your kids while you're celebrating," she said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom