re si
said.
rowing number of teens view
larijuana as a harmless drug
for
and stra
iting tlie
5 to mines
a junioi
he is notpASHINGTON (AP) — Mari
na use among teen-agers has
ations.i rly doubled since 1992, even as
'ffect om Jts’ use of all illegal drugs lev
off, the government an
meed Tuesday.
iome 12.2 million people used il-
' r s, bull al drugs last year, up from 11.7
r i n k.” : lion in 1993 and 11.4 million in
imitteei 92, said the 1994 National
d testi® usehold Survey on Drug Abuse,
will hold {increases were not considered
aaring ici tistically significant.
•)96, then
ices
in entre
intingst
ig wei{!
to devel
its once
)f indivii
11 develi
lop an
ic weigh
said.
A.P. Bei
tional in
ng nutri-
air views
ember of
olunteer
it the same time, 1.8 million
? recomim n-agers used illegal drugs last
egislat®|ar — the vast majority marijua-
which the government survey
ys is on the rise among young
uple after 13 years of decline.
About 7.3 percent of teens — 1.3
illion ages 12 to 17 — smoked
irijuana last year. That’s up from
( I lercenttwo years earlier, the sur-
* found. Until 1992, youth mari-
la use had declined every year
^ ice 1979.
Anyone who thinks we’ve licked
e drug problem in this country is
ving in a fantasy land,” said
and Human Services Secre-
ly Donna Shalala, whose depart
ed conducted the survey.
Shalala used the data to attack
louse-passed budget cuts that
take $700 million away from
deral drug-abuse programs. The
eiiate is considering this week
tether to let those cuts stand.
“We hope they remember that
prevention is a national priori-
ofthe very same order as clean
good roads and safe streets,”
iklala said.
Marijuana accounts for 81 percent
t Vickie fthe nation’s drug use, and its rise
mg teens reflects a growing sense
ktmarijuana is benign, said Lee
President Clinton’s drug poli-
pordinator. Only 42 percent of
considered marijuana a
dangerous drug, down from 50 per
cent in 1992, the survey found.
“Marijuana is not cool,” Shalala
told students at a Washington high
school Tuesday. “Marijuana use is
illegal, it’s dangerous, it’s un
healthy and it’s wrong.”
To estimate the prevalence of the
use of illegal drugs, alcohol and to
bacco, HHS surveyed a nationally
representative sample of 22,181
people last year. Drug use was de
fined as taking a drug sometime in
the month before the survey.
Among other findings:
"Marijuana is not cool.
Marijuana use is illegal,
it's dangerous, it's un
healthy and it's wrong."
-Donna Shalala
Humayi Services Secretary
—The proportion of teens who
report being approached by some
one selling drugs in the month be
fore the survey increased to 18.9
percent last year, up from 14.4 per
cent in 1993.
—Four million teen-agers
smoked cigarettes, steady since
1992.
—Some 1.4 million people of all
ages used cocaine and 500,000 used
crack. Rates were highest among
young adults, 1.2 percent, but just
0.3 percent of teens used cocaine.
To back up the anti-marijuana
message to young people, HHS
and The Weekly Reader will dis
tribute anti-marijuana education
al materials to 5 million students
next month.
Also, the government is sending
to 16,000 school districts videos
that can help parents discuss mari
juana with their teens.
Situation NORML
Grass-roots organization aims to educate
By Amy Protas
The Battalion
M arijuana, weed, Mary Jane —
George Washington and Thomas
Jefferson both grew it — the
plant otherwise known as cannabis.
Members of the Texas A&M chapter of
the National Organization for the Reform
of Marijuana Laws say they hope to help
students realize that hemp was once a le
gal and integral part of society.
The main goal of NORML is to edu
cate students and the community about
the positive aspects of hemp.
Sarah Fuentes, a junior English ma
jor and NORML president, said people
do not realize the uses of hemp.
“We want to distribute as much infor
mation to the campus as we can,”
Fuentes said. “There are so many respon
sible uses — personal, religious, medicinal
and agricultural, to name a few.”
The organization’s mem
bers said the most beneficial
uses of hemp are medicinal.
Don Arnold, class of ’84
and NORML member, said he
joined after his mother died
from cancer.
“My interest was sparked after
I watched my mom waste away,”
Arnold said. “I knew marijuana would
increase her appetite, but there was no le
gal way to obtain it.”
Being associated with an organiza
tion supporting the legalization of mar
ijuana can bring problems to members
of NORML.
Tim Colwill, a sophomore general
studies major and NORML member, said
students have preconceived notions of
the organization.
“There is a big misconception about
NORML,” Colwill said. “People think we
just sit around all the time and get high.
They’re wrong.”
Arnold said students gain little from
their membership — after
all, putting NORML
down on a job applica
tion wouldn’t be the
fastest way to get
hired. He said people
join the organization
for personal satisfac
tion and to educate
others about the
Renee Metoyer, a sophomore psycholo
gy major and NORML member, said the
organization gets contributions from out
side groups and businesses. A lot of times,
however, this is done anonymously to
avoid ties to the group.
Last year, the organization hosted Hemp
Fest, a festival where
hemp products were sold
and bands played in cel
ebration of the plant.
Fuentes said the mon
ey raised went to
printing fliers to edu
cate the campus.
In addition to
Hemp Fest, the orga
nization is planning
to participate in Big
“We are like
the Civil
Rights
Movement
of the
1960s,” Arnold said.
“Ther£ is no personal benefit
except trying to change our whole
culture for the better.”
Event
and Earth
Day this year.
But Fuentes said
the group remains fo
cused on educating students
about hemp.
She joined NORML for ed
ucation and said she wants to
give that back to the school.
“I joined to become in
formed,” Fuentes said. “I learned so
much that now I’m angry. Our society is
being put under so much oppression. I
want to get everyone informed so we can
change things.”
Computing
EXPO’95
the
Get Connected to the World!
Who? Faculty, Staff & Students
What? A Hands-On
Demonstration of
Texas A&M University
Computing Resources
When? September 12-13,1995
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Where? Rudder Tower Exhibit Hall
For more information, please call 845-8300.
Sponsored by
Computing and
Information Services
si * mroiwig
725 - B UNIVERSITY 260-2660
Tickets go on sale Sunday, Sept. 17 th from 5-7 p.m.
SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
CHEM 101
3-5 PM
CHEM 101
5-7PM
CHEM 101
7-9PM
PHYS 218
9 PM-MID
MON.
SEPT. 18
CH 1,2
CH 1,2
CH 1,2
CH 1,2,3
TUES.
SEPT. 19
CH 3,4
CH 3,4
CH 3,4
CH 4,5
WED.
SEPT. 20
CH 4
CH 4
CH 4
PRAC TESTS
THRS.
SEPT. 21
PRAC TEST
Dr. Conway
Dr. Brown
Dr. Wolf
PRAC TEST
Dr. Conway
Dr. Brown
Dr. Wolf
PRAC TEST
Dr. Conway
Dr. Brown
Dr. Wolf
Dr. Gonthier and Dr. DeRose CHEM 101
Dr. Kennicutt arid Dr. Peck
SAT. SEPT. 16
SUN. SEPT. 17
9-11 AM
Ch 5 &
PRAC TEST A
6-8 PM
PRAC TEST B
SUN. SEPT. 17
CHEM 102
11 PM - 1 AM
PRAC TEST
SUN. SEPT. 17
PHYS 201 8-11 PM
PRAC TEST
Dr. Ford, Dr. Clark, Dr. Welch
Aggies Helping Aggies
for over 10 Years
MATH 151
5-7 PM
MATH 151
7-9PM
PHYS 208
9 -11 PM
MON.
SEPT. 18
REVIEW
PARTI
REVIEW
PARTI
CH 23,24
TUES.
SEPT. 19
REVIEW
PART II
REVIEW
PART II
CH 25, 26
WED.
SEPT. 20
PRAC TEST
A
PRAC TEST
A
PRAC TEST
A
THRS.
SEPT. 21
PRAC TEST
B
PRAC TEST
B
PRAC TEST
B
BUSINESS
ACCT327
9 -11 PM
ACCT328
11 PM -1 AM
MON.
SEPT. 18
CH 3,4
CH 14
TUES.
SEPT. 19
CH 4,5
CH 17
WED.
SEPT. 20
CH 5,6
CH 18
THRS.
SEPT. 21
PRAC TEST
PRAC TEST
ACCT 229
5-7 PM
FINC341
SUN.
SEPT. 17
CH 4
7-10 PM
CH 1,2,3
MON.
SEPT. 18
CH 5
7-9 PM
CH 3,4
TUES.
SEPT. 19
CH 6
7-9 PM
PRAC TEST
WED.
SEPT. 20
PRAC TEST