The high-potency marijuana now widely available in cities and some small towns is causing an increasing number of teenagers -- and some preteens -- to land in drug treatment centers or emergency rooms, recent government statistics suggest.
The numbers are not conclusive, experts say, but have renewed scientific interest in and debate about the risks of marijuana use.
"The stereotypes of marijuana smoking are way out of date," said Michael Dennis, a research psychologist in Bloomington, Ill. "The kids we see are not only smoking stronger stuff at a younger age but their pattern of use might be three to six blunts -- the equivalent of three or four joints each -- just for themselves, in a day. That's got nothing to do with what Mom or Dad did in high school. It might as well be a different drug."
Though overall marijuana use in minors has declined slightly since the mid-1990s, recently released statistics from hospitals and treatment centers suggest that the drug is causing many young users serious problems. Late last year, federal health officials reported that the number of marijuana-related emergency room visits for children age 12 to 17 had more than tripled since 1994, to 7,535 in 2001, the latest year for which figures were available. The most common reason for the visit was an "unexpected reaction" to the drug. "Overdose" was cited in 10% of these cases, "chronic effects" in 6% and "accident or injury" in 4%.
The latest U.S. Health and Human Services Department data show that marijuana or hashish use is, by far, the most common reason why children age 12 to 17 were placed in licensed public or private treatment centers, accounting for more than 60% of reported cases in 2001.
In an analysis published last week, researchers at Columbia University's National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse calculated that the treatment rate for cannabis dependence or habitual use in youngsters had jumped 142% in the last decade.
It is too early to tell whether these statistics truly represent a surge in habitual use, experts said. Admission figures could be skewed by changes in the way some states collect data and report it to the federal government. Forced drug treatment is also a way many teens avoid juvenile detention after a drug arrest.
Most children who smoke marijuana are occasional users, experts said. And there is little evidence that a heavy marijuana user who quits the habit will experience the kind of physical withdrawal symptoms reported by heroin or cocaine users.
