Family Source: Associated Press Pubdate: 10 Feb 1998 Author: Paul Shepard, Associated Press MORE COLLEGE STUDENTS 'JUST SAY YES' TO MARIJUANA WASHINGTON (AP) — Much like their parents a generation ago, today's college students are just saying yes to marijuana and are increasingly supportive of its legalization. "It's out there, but it isn't a big deal. If you don't smoke, you just disregard it,'' said Amy Kim, a freshman at the University of Arizona. "I'm not surprised students think it should be legalized because it's the most accessible thing out there next to liquor.'' Craig Brooks, 18, a freshman at George Washington University in Washington said "Cigarettes are worse. We all know that.'' Fellow freshman Michelle Rubinstein piped up, "We just don't make an issue of it. Marijuana is accepted.'' The student comments underscore a growing trend among American youth. Call it a shift from reefer madness to reefer gladness, as use of marijuana rises along with support for its legalization, according to recent surveys of student attitudes. The affinity for marijuana flies in the face of growing conservatism in other areas, according to surveys that show today's college freshmen are more apt to favor restricting abortion rights and are less accepting of gay relationships than students in recent years. Support for marijuana legalization has grown among college freshmen from just 16.7 percent in 1989 to 35.2 percent in 1997, according to a study by the University of California, Los Angeles, for the Washington-based American Council on Education. Marijuana use among high school seniors also is rising. More than 50 percent of seniors say they have smoked it, compared to 33 percent who admitted to its use in 1992, according to Dr. Lloyd Johnston, author of an annual report on youth trends involving drugs for the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Reasons vary, according to experts. Some say the debate over medical marijuana and possible beneficial effects for some ill people have softened its image. "The perception of risks in smoking marijuana is eroding. They don't see it as dangerous,'' said Dr. Lloyd Johnston, program director at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research. Others point to the fact that many parents of today's crop of college age smokers are no strangers to marijuana use themselves during the pot-filled days of the 1960s and '70s. "More people are going by their own experiences,'' said Keith Stroup, founder and executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. "For a long time, the government put out these reefer madness reports, and they molded opinions. But now, when a third of the population have experience with marijuana, they don't believe the government.'' Steve Dnistrian, senior vice president of Partnership for a Drug-Free America, said he is disappointed by the survey results but not surprised. The 1980s saw new laws allowing the forfeiture of property seized during drug arrests and an expansion of drug testing for public and private work places in addition to first lady Nancy Reagan's "just say no'' to drugs campaign. But those days are little more than a hazy recollection for some. "We had the media focus. We had the government focus,'' Dnistrian said. "Kids were exposed to the message and decided it wasn't worth it to smoke. We burned out giving the message and the public burned out on hearing it.'' What's filled the vacuum since, Dnistrian said, is tacit approval of marijuana. "Musicians started singing its praises openly and then sitcoms treated smoking in a funny way,'' he said. "Then, marijuana leaves started showing up on hats and shirts. And when the media started up with stories about how the drug war was lost, our message was lost.'' © 1998 Associated Press. All rights reserved.