Paul Armentano

Paul Armentano is director of publications for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), an organization that advocates legalizing marijuana. In the following viewpoint, Armentano responds to several claims made by policy makers and public health officials regarding marijuana use among teenagers. He maintains that although teen marijuana use may have increased slightly in recent years, the rise has been less dramatic than many experts claim. The rates of adolescent marijuana use are still below those of the late 1970s, the author points out. Armentano insists that NORML does not condone the use of marijuana by adolescents, but he believes that the problem should provoke only “mild concern.”

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. How do the 1979 teen marijuana use rates compare with those of...