Smoking marijuana is becoming even more popular among U.S. teens and they have cut down on smoking cigarettes, binge drinking and using methamphetamine, according to a federal survey released Monday. The Associated Press story was picked up by the San Francisco Chronicle, whose Web version can be found here.
The AP reports that more teens also are getting high on prescription pain pills and attention-deficit drugs, according to eighth-, 10th- and 12th-graders surveyed by the University of Michigan for the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
“The increase of teens smoking pot is partly because the national debate over medical use of marijuana can make the drugs seem safer to teenagers, researchers said. In addition to marijuana, fewer teens also view prescription drugs and Ecstasy as dangerous, which often means more could use them in the future, White House drug czar Gil Kerlikowske said.”
Speaking of which, how many other “czars” exist in the federal government? The term seems apt for Homeland Security, perhaps, now that we’re focused on the so-called War on Terror. But as applied to this nation’s anti-drug efforts, the term “drug czar” is little more than a reminder that our failed War on Drugs and its propaganda efforts often drew from militaristic themes. How about a style update, AP?
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