When Michael Phelps was sighted smoking marijuana at a college party and then later cited by the media for doing so, it ignited a fire storm of debate. The comments associated with numerous internet and newspapers articles reflect a pendulum swing from outrage to disappointment.

The outrage comes from those believing this is much ado about nothing, an invasion of privacy and a total waste of taxpayers’ money, and the disappointment from those who held Mr. Phelps to a higher standard. Equally divided are those believing he is being persecuted because he is a celebrity and those who maintain he should not get a pass just because he is.

To date, Phelps has yet to be charged with any crime. However, the infamous picture is evidently going to cost him an endorsement worth roughly a million dollars. It brings to mind the question of why any company would be willing to spend that kind of money for a single image in the first place. But advertising uses celebrities for a reason.

Kelloggs wasn’t just buying Phelps’ picture; they were buying his influence. It’s a no-brainer that a picture of Phelps on a box of Frosted Flakes had the potential to bring millions of kids to the breakfast table and into the pool.

Millions of kids eating millions of boxes make for an even sweeter deal than the 12 grams of sugar per serving. Take away that positive image, though, and the deal starts to sour.

The blogs are full of those who would hold this picture as evidence that marijuana is indeed harmless. After all, if Phelps can get high and still win eight Olympic gold medals, then what’s the harm? I’m trusting that the International Olympic Committee is being truthful when they report Phelps did not test positive for any banned substances during the Beijing Olympics.

Hopefully, for his sake, Phelps’s 2004 DUI and his November pot experience are isolated incidents, but others may not be so “lucky.” From aspirin to alcohol, people will use a particular substance because it makes sense to them to do so at the time.

An individual’s reasons may be simple and well-intentioned, but the research is clear: most people are more likely to use a substance if they perceive that use to be harmless. Alcohol may be legal and marijuana socially accepted by many, but that does not diminish the fact that they are both powerful psychoactive drugs with the potential for harm.

It’s easy to get trapped into a debate over whether alcohol is more dangerous than pot, or to say there are far more terrible crimes and police should chase after “real” criminals, but that’s not the point. Those are sound bite arguments providing almost no factual information.

But there are facts.

Each year, we lose 1,700 college students to alcohol-related deaths. Alcohol continues to be a leading contributor of adolescent deaths, but according to the 2006 DAWN (Drug Awareness Warning Network) REPORT, marijuana was identified as the primary drug of abuse in 22,104 adolescent visits to emergency rooms for detoxification and 15,272 suicide attempts.

The same report listed marijuana as being involved in 79,663 of the total 627,923 drug-related ER visits. Alcohol and marijuana combined were responsible for an additional 41,653 emergency room visits.

When compared with tobacco smokers, marijuana smokers reported more “chest sounds,” more wheezing, more coughing, more phlegm, and equal instances of chronic bronchitis. Substance abuse treatment admissions for adolescent marijuana use have increased 350 percent since 1992, and in 2003, 63 percent of adolescent clients admitted to treatment indicated their primary drug of choice was marijuana.

The 2005 Monitoring the Future Survey revealed that 25 percent of 12th graders perceived little to no danger in using marijuana. The 2008 results of that same survey indicated that in the past year, marijuana was used by 10.9 percent of eighth graders, 23.9 percent of 10th graders and 32.4 percent of 12th graders.

That was before they saw Michael Phelps. The research is clear: when perception of harm goes down, use goes up. In the battle to influence perception, Kelloggs understands that the message is simple: whether you use a cereal box or a cell phone photo, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Denise Denton

Resident

Ames