ASAP update: Risks of marijuana abuse

    Substance of the week: Marijuana
    Statistic of the week: 29 percent of adults and 44 percent of youth responding to a recent countywide survey conducted by ASAP said smoking marijuana once per month poses no risk or slight risk.     So what?  Findings from a recent comprehensive study by the Office of National Drug Control Policy and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) indicated that levels of THC – the psychoactive substance in marijuana – are at the highest level ever found since analysis of THC levels were initiated in the late 1970s. The higher levels of THC in marijuana distributed today increase the risk of using marijuana, regardless of how frequently it is used.
    According to Dr. Nora Volkow, director of NIDA, “science has shown that marijuana can produce adverse physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral changes, and – contrary to popular belief – it can be addictive.” In fact, substance abuse treatment admissions of Aroostook County residents for marijuana dependence/abuse are more frequent than for abuse of other illicit drugs. Furthermore, residents 17 and under admitted for treatment for marijuana dependence/abuse are more frequent than any other substance, including alcohol.
    What you can do (research based strategies that can prevent substance abuse):
• Parents and adults can regularly talk to children about the risks of marijuana abuse; and
• Parents can spend quality time with their children on a regular basis.
    Weekly resource: Web site – Parents. The Anti-Drug. (Web address: www.theantidrug.com/)
    Upcoming event: The next ASAP meeting will be held Tuesday, Dec. 18 from 1-2:30 at Cary Medical Center, Chan Center and via ITV at Houlton Regional Hospital Center for Community Health Education and Northern Maine Medical Center.
    This article was brought to you by Aroostook Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP), a countywide substance abuse prevention collaborative. For additional resources about the risks of marijuana abuse contact Clare Desrosiers at 521-2408 or go to the Maine Office of Substance Abuse Information Resource Center Web site and type in keyword “marijuana” (Web address – http://osairc.informe.org/).