WASHINGTON - Treatment rates for marijuana nearly tripled between 1992 and 2002, the government says, attributing the increase to greater use and potency.


"This report is a wake-up call for parents that marijuana is not a soft drug," said Tom Riley, a spokesman for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. "It's a much bigger part of the addiction problem than is generally understood."


Advocates of legalizing marijuana disagreed, saying the trend was largely due to an increase in marijuana arrests and had almost nothing to do with more people seeking treatment because they thought their own health was at risk.


"They have the option of going into treatment for marijuana or going to jail," said Paul Armentano, senior policy analyst for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.


FBI (news - web sites) records show a substantial increase in marijuana-related arrests during the decade studied, from about 340,000 in 1992 to about 700,000 in 2002.


The study on treatment rates was conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which estimated that 41 states had an increase in the number of people who sought treatment for marijuana use during the decade studied. The estimates reflect the number of people who get help at a drug or alcohol treatment center, which can include clinics, hospitals or private doctor's offices, administration officials said.


Admissions declined in three states: Alaska, New Mexico and Massachusetts. Three others, Arizona, Mississippi and Kentucky, had incomplete data from which to draw a conclusion.


The report said comparisons were difficult in four states — Ohio, Texas, West Virginia and Virginia — because of changes in the facilities that reported. However, a map in the report showed Virginia as one of the states that had experienced an increase. SAMHSA official Deborah Trunzo could not explain the discrepancy.


Overall, the admission rates for marijuana treatment rose from 45 per 100,000 people in 1992 to 118 per 100,000 people in 2002, the latest year such numbers are available.


"Marijuana is not a harmless substance, and these treatment trends emphasize that point," said SAMHSA Administrator Charles Curie.


A spokeswoman for the agency said the study did not determine whether people sought treatment on their own or were ordered to do so by a court.


"We have no way of knowing why there are so many more going for treatment. The data just tells us that there are," said spokeswoman Leah Young.


She added, "Being forced into treatment does not indicate you don't need it."


Dr. Terry Horton, who treats people for drug addiction at the Phoenix House in New York, said he's not surprised by the federal government's numbers.


"We provide long-term residential treatment, and when they need that level of care, it's a severe problem we're dealing with, and it almost always involves marijuana and alcohol," Horton said.


Treatment can take up to two years and involves working with individuals on their attitudes and behaviors. Horton said he was skeptical of assertions that the treatment trends were simply the result of stiffer law enforcement.


"That's just a fallacy," Horton said. "We're in the trenches, and we take care of individuals whose lives are very much disrupted by any number of substances, including marijuana."

The Drug Policy Alliance, which seeks to legalize marijuana and regulate it along the lines of alcohol, said an increase in the number of people forced into treatment for marijuana takes up bed space for those addicted to more harmful drugs.