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Click Here 42 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, January 31, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend December 19, 2003 Students get straight talk about marijuana By BILL CHOY Mail Tribune ASHLAND — Local high school freshmen got something to ponder with straight talk from a drug-abuse expert who’s lived on both sides of the drug issue. Eric Martin, executive director of the Addiction Consumer Certification Board of Oregon and a nationally recognized expert on drug abuse, told freshman health classes Monday how marijuana affects the human body. Martin also held a public forum for parents and teens that night, and continued his discussions at the high school Tuesday. Martin, who has 20 years of experience in the addiction- treatment field, told a group of students that he frequently used marijuana himself as a teen, so he has first-hand knowledge of the drug’s effects. He’s also an instructor at the University of Oregon and an adjunct faculty member at community colleges in the Portland area. After getting in trouble with the law for his marijuana use when he was 19, Martin became interested in the pull of addiction. Martin said it’s important to go to schools and give students the medical science of drugs. Advertisement Martin’s talk was apropos in the Ashland School District, whose students regularly report a significantly higher marijuana use rate than the rest of the state and the nation. Martin said the federal government offers scant quality information on marijuana abuse. That’s why it’s so imperative to make teens and those in the community aware of the facts as he knows them. "I don’t take a position that marijuana is good or evil," Martin said. "I talk about some of the effects. It makes it easier to have an objective discussion free of arguments and talk about the science of marijuana." Freshman Nick Merrill, 15, appreciated the straight talk. "He wasn’t like ‘it’s bad, it’s bad,’ he left it up to you," Merrill said. "I totally respect that. He made it believable and understandable." In his discussion with a health class Monday afternoon, Martin talked about how most drugs, when they enter the brain, look like chemicals the brain already produces, such as endorphins. He showed how drugs like marijuana can damage brain cells through regular use, and how much of the marijuana that is used is not as "natural" as some may claim. He also had students get into groups and write down what using marijuana can do to a person’s brain. Martin said Ashland is way above the national average in marijuana use according to three surveys, such as the 2002 Ashland Public Schools Drug Use Survey Report. For the Ashland survey, students were asked if they used marijuana in the last 30 days; 39.8 percent of 12th-graders said they used marijuana, compared to the national average of 21.5 percent. With 10th-graders in Ashland, 31.7 percent said they used marijuana in the past 30 days, compared to a national average of 17.8 percent. Among eighth-graders, 18.8 percent reported using marijuana in the past 30 days, compared to the 8.3 percent national average. "The Ashland School District is trying to cope with a school population with a high rate of consumption," Martin said. "It’s not a problem that’s Ashland’s alone. Oregon is above the national average." Freshman health teacher Cecily Verloop said Martin helped clear up misconceptions her students had about marijuana and other drug use. "This gives them good information based on science," she said. "He addressed a topic that’s highly relevant in our area." Bill Choy is a reporter for the Mail Tribune and the Ashland Daily Tidings. Reach him at 482-3456. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times