OFFICIALS: COUNTY'S DRUG OF CHOICE MARIJUANA

Police in several Carroll jurisdictions say the number of marijuana arrests
has risen, but they also say they are seeing a variety of illegal
substances come through Carroll.

The sheriff's office made 82 marijuana arrests in 2001, Maj. Thomas H. Long
said.

"Marijuana remains the drug of choice," Long said. "It doesn't always lead
to harder drugs, but it certainly can."

The sheriff's office made 25 marijuana-related arrests in 2000. Long
attributes the increase to the sheriff's office becoming a 24-hour,
seven-day-a-week operation, which took place in May 2001.

The Carroll County Drug Task Force made 96 drug arrests in 2001 and 44 of
them were for marijuana, Sgt. Mike Smith said.

"A lot of people don't think there's a problem with it," Smith said. "It's
illegal, it's a drug. That's pretty much the bottom line."

Manchester police had six drug arrests last year for marijuana only, Chief
Charles Lewis Jr. said. The department had one drug arrest in 2000, which
was also for marijuana.

"Four arrests came out of one incident [in 2001]," Lewis said. "That could
be why there's such a dramatic difference."

Marijuana was also the most prevalent drug pertaining to Sykesville police
arrests last year. The department made 23 marijuana arrests in 2001 and 32
in 2000. Taneytown police made 10 marijuana arrests in 2000. The 2001
numbers were not available.

Hampstead police made 16 marijuana arrests last year, Chief Ken Meekins
said. The number of marijuana arrests was the same for Hampstead in 2000.

Maryland State Police made 209 marijuana arrests in 2000, Westminster
barrack commander Lt. Terry Katz said. Figures for last year were not
available.

But heroin and other drugs are also resulting in arrests.

Maryland State Police arrested 22 people for heroin in 2001, Katz said. The
county drug task force made two heroin arrests and two Ecstasy arrests in 2001.

"[Ecstasy is] a club drug," Katz said. "It's designed to attract young
people. We're not immune to that."

Hampstead had five heroin arrests and two for Ecstasy last year and four
heroin arrests in 2000. Westminster police made nine heroin arrests in
2001, Capt. Randy Barnes said.

"We continue to receive tips and information from the community," Barnes
said. "We know that [drugs are there] and we're very active in the
enforcement investigations."

Westminster police drug arrest statistics for 2000 were not available Friday.

An assortment of drug cases end up in court, said narcotics prosecutor
Senior Assistant State's Attorney Hope E. Hancock.

"We see marijuana and crack cocaine," Hancock said. Prosecutors are also
seeing heroin, methamphetamine and Ecstasy, Hancock said.

"I think it's just a function of things moving out here," Hancock said.
"We'd like concerned citizens to give us any information that they have
because it's invaluable."

Junction Inc., an outpatient treatment facility, experienced an increase in
the number of people in treatment, executive director Liv Myers said.

In fiscal year 2000, Junction treated 437 people, compared to 498 in fiscal
year 2001.

"Some people come to Junction, but they need a different level of care,"
Myers said. "In Carroll County, the majority of people use
indiscriminately, whatever is available."

Marijuana and alcohol are very prevalent, Myers said.

"A lot of the times people are busted with marijuana, but they're using a
lot of other substances and it's just the tip of the iceberg," Myers said.
"A lot of people think that marijuana is a benign drug. The marijuana today
is stronger than what it was in the 60s and 70s and that's what people
don't understand. Young people develop a dependency on marijuana."

Marijuana usage hurts motivation and can cause problems later in life,
Myers said.

"It takes longer to disrupt your life than heroin, but it does disrupt your
life," she said.