OKLAHOMA COUNTY JAIL RATES HIGHEST FOR DRUGS

A U.S. Justice Department study shows the Oklahoma County jail has the
nation's highest percentage of new inmates testing positive for marijuana.
High rankings also were noted in positive tests of methamphetamine and
phencyclidine, or PCP, according to the study.

The Justice Department-funded study shows about 60 percent of male inmates
and 53 percent of female inmates who are tested during the booking process
for this year's first quarter show marijuana in their system, while the
national average is less than 43 percent.

In 2000, the most recent period nationwide numbers are available, the jail
ranked No. 1 with 57 percent of inmates testing positive for marijuana.

Oklahoma and Tulsa county inmates also ranked higher than the national
average for testing positive for at least one drug.

Tulsa County jail inmates also ranked high in marijuana, methamphetamine,
heroin and PCP in the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring program.

In Oklahoma County, 79 percent had a drug in their system, while 30 percent
test positive for more than one drug during the first three months of this
year.

Those numbers are consistent with findings since 1998, the study's first year.

Oklahoma County inmates tested positive less than the national average for
cocaine and heroin.

"Clearly it's a geographical phenomena," said Kelly Damphousse, an
associate professor of sociology at the University of Oklahoma who leads
the Oklahoma City project. "We're looking at a transportation route between
Mexico into the United States."

The study shows cities near Interstate 35 have high marijuana rates.

Working with law enforcement officials, Damphousse has learned that much of
the marijuana is grown in Mexico and transported on I-35.

"When I first started giving presentations, people in the audience would
chuckle and say, 'Marijuana is the No. 1 cash crop in Oklahoma,'"
Damphousse said.

Marijuana can stay in the system for about 30 days, while other drugs can
stay for two to three days.

The Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring program looked at results of anonymous
testing that was done within 18 hours of an arrest in 35 major cities,
including Chicago, New York, Detroit and Los Angeles.

The Oklahoma County testing is administered mostly by paid OU graduate
students while an officer watches.

About 170 males and 80 females are tested four times a year in Oklahoma County.

The study shows female inmates use drugs, not including marijuana, more
than male inmates.

About 88 percent of those asked responded to the oral and written survey
and submit to the drug test.

They are offered a candy bar for participating.

An inmate cannot face drug charges resulting from the testing if that was
not the reason the person was arrested.

Each of the 35 sites can cost up to $300,000 a year to run. The Justice
Department's goal is to have 75 cities tested in the future.

Oklahoma City police Capt. Jeffrey Becker said people aren't always
truthful about drugs.

"We have any number of cases where individuals tell us exaggerated claims,"
he said. "There are times when you have to take these stories with a grain
of salt."

The findings help officers determine risk factors when out on the streets,
Becker said.

So far this year, officers have responded to nearly 250,000 calls for
assistance. Each call presents risk, and drugs only elevate and complicate
the situation, Becker said.

"Whether a person is on drugs or not is only one variable that an officer
has to look at when he's responding to a call of service," he said. "The
drug trade fuels crimes, and crimes fuel the drug trade, and the two
quickly become intertwined for the people we deal with."

The department also has seen people arrested this year under PCP's
influence, making it tougher to make an arrest safely because of
hallucinations.

So far this year, more than 215,000 grams of marijuana and more than 8,000
grams of methamphetamine have been seized by the police department's
operations and narcotics units.

It's no surprise methamphetamine is on the rise in the state because it has
become easier to make, said Jim Cox, executive director of the Oklahoma
Association of Chiefs of Police.

"Maybe we need to consider what appears to be marching our way," he said.

Despite marijuana's perception by some as the most harmless drug studied,
law officials say being at the list's top is undesirable.

"It's disturbing that we stay near the top," Cox said.

Oklahoma County sheriff's Capt. Renee Tiner said marijuana laws are
enforced more in Oklahoma than on the West Coast, leading to more arrests.

She said residents should be concerned about the study's findings.

"I think it gives them a more realistic idea of what drug problems they
face here in the state of Oklahoma," she said.

"It's probably far more used than maybe what people are willing to admit to."