Pubdate: Tue, 19 Aug 2014
Source: New York Times (NY)
Copyright: 2014 The New York Times Company
Website: http://www.nytimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/298

IN DRUG FIGHT, ERRATIC CUES FOR TEENAGERS

When the antidrug educator Tim Ryan talks to students, he often asks
them what they know about marijuana. "It's a plant," is a common response.

But more recently, the answer has changed. Now they reply, "It's legal
in Colorado."

These are confusing times for middle and high school students, who for
most of their young lives have been lectured about the perils of
substance abuse, particularly marijuana. Now it seems that the adults
in their lives have done an about-face.

Recreational marijuana is legal in Colorado and in Washington, and
many other states have approved it for medical use. Lawmakers, the
news media and even parents are debating the merits of full-scale
legalization.

"They are growing up in a generation where marijuana used to be bad,
and maybe now it's not bad," said Mr. Ryan, a senior prevention
specialist with FCD Educational Services, an antidrug group that works
with students in the classroom.

"Their parents are telling them not to do it, but they may be
supporting legalization of it at the same time."

Antidrug advocates say efforts to legalize marijuana have created new
challenges as they work to educate teenagers and their parents about
the unique risks that alcohol, marijuana and other drugs pose to the
developing teenage brain.

These educators say their goal is not to vilify marijuana or take a
stand on legalization; instead, they say their role is to convince
young people and their parents that the use of drugs is not just a
moral or legal issue, but a significant health issue.

"The health risks are real," said Steve Pasierb, the chief executive
of the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids. "Every passing year, science
unearths more health risks about why any form of substance use is
unhealthy for young people."

Already nearly half of teenagers - 44 percent - have tried marijuana
at least once, according to data from the partnership. Regular use is
less common. One in four teenagers report using marijuana in the past
month, and 7 percent report frequent use - at least 20 times in the
past month.

Even in the states where marijuana is legal, it remains, like alcohol,
off-limits to anyone younger than 21. But the reality is that once a
product becomes legal, it becomes much easier for underage users to
obtain it.

This summer, the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids released its annual
tracking study, in which young people were asked what stopped them
from trying drugs. Getting into trouble with the law and disappointing
their parents were cited as the two most common reason young people
did not use marijuana. The concern now is that legalization will
remove an important mental barrier that keeps adolescents from trying
marijuana at a young age.

"Making it legal makes it much more accessible, more available," said
Dr. Nora Volkow, the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
"This is the reality, so what we need to do is to prevent the damage
or at least minimize it as much as possible."

Drug prevention experts say the "Just Say No" approach of the 1980s
does not work. The goal of parents should not be to prevent their kids
from ever trying marijuana.

Instead, the focus should be on practical reasons to delay use of any
mind-altering substance, including alcohol, until they are older.

The reason is that young brains continue to develop until the early
20s, and young people who start using alcohol or marijuana in their
teens are far more vulnerable to long-term substance-abuse problems.

The brain is still wiring itself during adolescence, and marijuana -
or any drug use - during this period essentially trains the reward
system to embrace a mind-altering chemical.

"We know that 90 percent of adults who are addicted began use in
teenage years," Mr. Pasierb said. "They programmed the reward and
drive center of their teenage brain that this is one of those things
that rewards and drives me like food does, like sex does."

Studies in New Zealand and Canada have found that marijuana use in the
teenage years can result in lost I.Q. points. Mr. Pasierb says the
current generation of young people are high achievers and are
interested in the scientific evidence about how substance use can
affect intelligence.

"You have to focus on brain maturation," he said. "This generation of
kids wants good brains; they want to get into better schools. Talk to
a junior or senior about whether marijuana use shaves a couple points
off their SATs, and they will listen to you."

Because early exposure to marijuana can change the trajectory of brain
development, even a few years of delaying use in the teen years is
better. Research shows that young adults who smoked pot regularly
before the age of 16 performed significantly worse on cognitive
function tests than those who started smoking in their later teenage
years.

Drug educators say that one benefit of the legalization talk is that
it may lead to more research on the health effects of marijuana on
young people and more funding for antidrug campaigns.

The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids plans to continue its "Above the
Influence" marketing campaign, which studies show has been an
effective way of reaching teenagers about the risks of drug use. The
campaign does not target a specific drug, but it teaches parents and
teens about the health effects of early drug use and tries to empower
teens to make good choices.

"Legalization is going to make the work we do even more relevant," Mr.
Pasierb said. "It's part of the changing drug landscape."
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MAP posted-by: Matt