
DATE: Tuesday, June 3, 1997                 TAG: 9706020134

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B3   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Public Safety 

SOURCE: BY LYNN WALTZ, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:  118 lines

THE NUMBERS ARE RISING. MARIJUANA SMOKERS ARE LIGHTING UP AT A YOUNGER AGE.

Nearly three decades after Hampton Roads' flower children flashed peace signs through a haze of botanical bliss, their children are catching a more potent buzz.

And they're doing it at a younger age.

Instead of joints, Generation X-ers may fire up something they call a blunt: a hollowed-out cigar. And the trends have many parents - even those who smoked themselves - alarmed.

A six-year upturn in arrests for sale and possession in Hampton Roads mirrors a national trend. In the late 1970s, pot fell from favor; arrests took a free fall that lasted until 1991. Then, the trend reversed itself, and the numbers have risen dramatically.

There were 4,878 total marijuana arrests in Hampton Roads in 1996, according to FBI statistics, up from 1,182 in 1991.

People arrested in Hampton Roads in 1995 were more likely to be of high school age than they were in 1981, when half of those arrested were between 20 and 24.

By 1995 - the last year for which detailed demographic data is available - the largest group arrested waspeople between 15 and 19.

Experts say the reasons behind the increases are complicated. Parents today, many of whom smoked themselves, may be less likely to discourage use. Another theory: Teen-agers think pot is harmless.

Educational scare tactics have apparently backfired, some experts say, because young people don't see tragic results from social use of marijuana.

Recent federal research shows that early screening may be more effective than general education. Potential drug users can be identified as early as third grade, primarily by identifying early anti-social behaviors. Once identified, those children can get special help.

The same anti-social behaviors that lead to drug use often lead to criminal behavior, and local data confirms the association. In Norfolk, 35 percent to 40 percent of the teen-agers entering the juvenile justice system test positive for marijuana.

``Among our population - kids already experiencing trouble - use of marijuana is a very big problem,'' said Keven Moran, director of Norfolk's Court Services Unit.

``Use of marijuana is as great today as it has ever been, and is increasing. . . . The drug of choice among our kids is clearly marijuana.''

Smoking pot or abusing any substance is usually the symptom and not the cause of problems for families, said David Hawkins, deputy director for residential programs at the Tidewater Regional Group Home Commission, which works with troubled youths.

``It's common sense,'' he said. ``Unhappy kids and unhappy families do unhappy things.''

The best approach to drug abuse is to work with the whole family because seldom are problems isolated to the children, Hawkins said.

``Adolescents have a lot of turning points,'' he said. ``We're very much concerned about issues of family, school, community, fitting in, along with the problems of drug use, violence, committing crimes.''

Hawkins gets calls from panicked parents every week who have discovered their teenagers are using marijuana. His advice? ``Stay calm. Don't panic. Keep lines of communication open.''

The next step depends on insurance. Those who have it can seek top-notch counseling. Those who don't can still get quality care, but they have to work harder at it. Each city's Community Services Board can provide a resource.

For panicking parents, here's some perspective: Far more young people drink alcohol - the leading cause of death among young people - than smoke pot.

And, the damage and health costs from legal drugs like alcohol and tobacco far surpass that of marijuana.

Nationwide, health-care costs related to alcohol abuse are about $10.5 billion a year compared to $3.2 million for all illegal drugs, mostly because of cocaine and heroin, according to the Robert Wood Foundation, a private organization committed to improving health.

Most young people don't smoke pot. About 61 percent say they've never tried it, national surveys show.

About three in 100 younger teen-agers, and seven in 100 older teens, say they smoke pot once a week or more. Far more drink once a week: about 25 out of 100 older teens.

Nearly half of 18- to 25-year-olds drink at least once a month, a rate that far exceeds pot use. A survey by the National Institute on Drug Abuse showed that about 17 to 21 percent of high school students smoked pot in the past 30 days.

Many parents are concerned about marijuana's reputation as a ``gateway drug,'' which leads to harder drugs. Studies show that about one in five pot smokers go on to use cocaine.

Pot smokers and other drug abusers usually start with alcohol, tobacco or inhalants in their early teens. However, there is no evidence that one drug causes use of another.

There's no question about one thing: Marijuana smoked by Generation X-ers is stronger than that smoked by flower children. In 1974, the average THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, content in marijuana was less than 1 percent. Today it is about 5 percent or 6 percent. MEMO: Sources: FBI Uniform Crime Reports; U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services/National Household Survey on Drug Abuse; National

Institute on Drug Abuse/Monitoring the Future Study. ILLUSTRATION: The facts about marijuana

Marijuana consists of dried leaves and flowering tops of the

Cannabis sativa plant. It is rolled into cigarettes called

``joints,'' packed into hollow cigar ``blunts'' or smoked in a pipe

or bong.

The effects vary, but generally the drug intensifies sensory

experiences like sight, hearing, taste and touch.

Side effects include bloodshot eyes and increased appetite.

Short-term effects include reduced attention span and impairment

of learning and motor skills.

Long-term affects are difficult to assess, though new studies