(Washington, D.C.) - The holiday season is often associated with frenzied activity, but it is also a time when parents have the opportunity to spend more quality time with their children. This year, the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign is urging parents to give their teens the priceless gift of time by remaining involved in their lives and scheduling meaningful family time throughout the holidays.

"Parents remain the most important influence on children, particularly when it comes to decisions about drugs," said John P. Walters, Director of National Drug Control Policy. "Research shows that spending time with your kids and talking to them about the dangers of marijuana and other illicit drugs are proven strategies for preventing drug use. The Holidays provide a great opportunity for families to open dialogue with teens through activities like cooking, shopping, traveling, or volunteering together."

In a world where 60 percent of us feel pressure to work too much and 80 percent want more family time, finding time to spend with your kids may seem challenging. Much time is eaten up in a rush to buy presents and prepare for the holidays, despite 84 percent of us saying we would like a less materialistic holiday. For instance:
l 57 percent of Americans surveyed by Hallmark currently spend between one and five hours sending holiday cards.
l Another 40 percent wait until the last minute to buy holiday gifts and end up wasting precious time in traffic and lines at the mall.
l And one out of every three parents with children under 18 is now working longer hours to earn money to pay for holiday spending.

Parents are not alone in their desire to create the "perfect" holiday and spend more time with their family-kids want more family time together, too. When asked to pick one or two areas of their life in which they would like to spend more time, half of the teenage students involved in the 2003-2004 State of Our Nation's Youth survey said they would like to spend more time with their family.

Each day more than 4,700 kids under age 18 try marijuana for the first time, often during unsupervised time afforded by after school hours, school breaks, and holidays. Research shows that marijuana can lead to a host of health, social, learning, and behavioral problems at a crucial time in young lives. Marijuana can also be addictive. In fact, more teens are in treatment for marijuana dependence than for all other illicit drugs combined.

"Parents can make a difference by scheduling one-on-one time with their child this holiday season," said Dr. Phillippe Cunningham, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina. "They can find an activity that their teen is interested in doing together, such as serving food at a homeless shelter, going ice skating, or eating lunch at a new restaurant. Time spent with your teen is also an opportunity to talk to them about the dangers of marijuana use."

Parental involvement is an important factor in preventing teen drug use. Parents can get to know their teens better and open the lines of communication during the holidays by taking advantage of family travel time or other seasonal activities, such as baking holiday cookies or watching favorite holiday movies. They can use this precious time to ask their teen how school is, what their friends are doing, or what their goals are.

In addition, parents can also help keep their kids drug-free by starting an ongoing dialogue about the dangers of marijuana and other illicit drugs. Research shows that kids who learn about the risks of drug abuse from their parents or caregivers are about 36 percent less likely to smoke marijuana, 50 percent less likely to use inhalants, 56 percent less likely to use cocaine, and 65 percent less likely to use LSD than kids who don't. And two-thirds of youth ages 13-17 say upsetting their parents or losing the respect of family and friends is one of the main reasons they don't smoke marijuana or use other drugs.

When talking to children about drugs this holiday season, it is important for parents to send a clear message about staying away from marijuana. Research shows that teens of parents who strongly disapprove of trying marijuana are far less likely to have used marijuana in the past month than teens whose parents only somewhat disapprove or who expressed no clear opinion.

Parents can also make a difference by monitoring where their teen is, who they are with and setting rules with clear consequences for breaking them. Lower levels of marijuana use were found among teens whose parents monitor their activities and peer relationships, limit the time spent watching TV, give them responsibilities around the house and recognize their teen's successes and good behavior.

Resources are available to help parents prevent teen marijuana use at www.TheAntiDrug.com. The site also offers weekly parenting tips via email and a free pamphlet called "Keeping your Kids Drug-Free: A How-To Guide for Parents and Caregivers." The pamphlet can also be ordered by calling 1-800-788-2800.

In 1998, with bipartisan support, Congress created the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign with the goal of educating and enabling young people to reject illicit drugs. The Campaign is a strategically integrated communications effort that combines advertising with public communications outreach to deliver anti-drug messages and skills to America's youth, their parents, and other influential adults.

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