Pothead

Gr 7 Up—This low-key video begins with a young man in the middle of completing his video blog that he calls "Pothead." As he comes to a final decision about actually uploading it onto the Internet, he recalls his experiences from the moment he was introduced to smoking marijuana (to the point where his parents and teachers intervened), which are interspersed with the personal experiences of three other teens. All of them are extremely articulate and personable as they talk about how they found themselves going from casual marijuana use to full dependence. They're quite frank about how their motivation, interest in activities, and ability to handle daily problems eroded. One of them recalls the time he was sitting in his car counting money to determine whether he could afford to buy some pot: "I was so dumb I didn't realize the cop was looking in my window." While this video isn't likely to change the minds of adolescents who are casual users or in hard-core denial, the quality and frankness of the teens, coupled with the absence of any adults or authority figures, is likely to reach those who are wondering or worrying about their marijuana use, and that's a real plus. This will be a very useful and valuable program for schools and public libraries to have available in communities where there is sincere concern about drug use/abuse.—John R. Clark, Hartland Public Library, ME