75A - PH - MEDICAL MARIJUANA - PROHIBIT

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Source: htt~//www.thedesertsun.con~/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=120061.219/(JPDATI//6 i 219027 Medical Concerns Marijuana more addictive for youth Bruce Ward, CanWest News Service; Ottawa Citizen Published: November 24, 2006 OTTAWA -Young people can easily become dependent on marijuana because their brain is still developing, says an expert on youth substance abuse. "Kids can get addicted really quickly, like six months," said Kathy Szirtes, who spoke Thursday at a public forum in Ottawa on problematic marijuana use among youth. "An adult may take two years, but kids can take six months because their bodies are still soft and. b*rowing. The teen brain really isn't done l,~rowing." For young people who use marijuana to deal with anxiety or to get to sleep, the drug "can literally become hard-wired into them in terms of a dependency," she added. "You see this in adults who say, 'Oh 1 need a few drinks before I'm going to dance.' The same thing happens with kids who use weed and say, 'I can't relax in a movie for that long unless I'm stoned. A lot of it is psychological," said Szirtes. It is a myth that marijuana use is not harmful, said Szirtes, a specialist in youth mental health. and substance abuse who works in Victoria, B.C. "We're seeing massive numbers of kids who can't use weed safely. And so you get these frustrated parents who might be saying, 'Why can't you just use on the weekend. Come on, we used to."' Marijuana can be "very addictive both psychologically and physiologically,'" she said, adduig that "it has a Little bit gentler withdrawal effects than other drugs." The debate on decriminalization and legalization of marijuana has been misinterpreted by many young people who believe th.e drug is not harmful, added Szirtes. "1 do know a lot of kids have taken that message and just only read the piece that says it's probably not harmful. It's not harmfitl to everyone, but in fact it's harmful to a lot of people," she said, noting when young people get into marijuana dependency cycles, it causes behavior changes. "You start wrecking relationships with family, with teachers, your memory goes, you can't sleep properly unless you have a toke before bed and on it goes. We're certainly seeing a rise in problems in the high schools." Because marijuana interferes with sleep, "kids are at school and they're exhausted," added Szirtes. Marijuana cravings for young people often look like Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms. Other sigms include changes in friends, sleep disturbances, and. mood swings. "I think the average parent should be as con.cei~~ed about marijuana as they would be about any other hard drug," said Szirtes. "While marijuana is not necessarily immediately detrimental to the system, because of its long-term effects it is overall just as harmful as any other hard drug." Anew Centre for Addiction and Mental Health drug use survey shows that about one in four Ontario high school students have used marijuana at least once in the past year, and that one in 12 report symptoms of dependence. After alcohol, marijuana has become the drug of choice in Ontario high schools. Ottawa Citizen ©CanWest News Service 2006 Source: http://www.canada.com/topics/bodyandhealth/story.html?id=748cad2e-2e93- 4b70-be0b-cb99bd9e6626&k=98371 14 75A-88