POLICE ARE SEIZING A LOT MORE MARIJUANA THIS YEAR

Police in Missouri say they've seized enough marijuana to roll about 26
million joints so far this year, a signal that the drug is thriving in the
Midwest.

From January to mid-March, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration
confiscated more than 29,000 pounds, either seized from traffickers in
Missouri or found growing in the state.

With a street value between $30 million and $43.5 million, the haul is
almost 3,000 pounds more than authorities have seized in any of the past
five years. The largest among those was 2001, with 26,494 pounds.

"It's probably a combination of hitting a couple of big loads and more
aggressive tactics by police," Missouri Highway Patrol Sgt. Jason Clark
said.

DEA officials say it is too early to explain this year's spike. "I don't
really know why that is," said Shirley Armstead, a spokeswoman for the St.
Louis office. "We compile the numbers from various state and local agencies,
so it's hard to tell."

The 29,000 pounds does not include marijuana taken from people arrested for
possession.

"And for everything we catch, just think of how much still gets by," said
St. Louis Police Drug Task Force Sgt. Michael Deeba.

Missouri and Illinois police seize thousands of pounds of marijuana in
transit to somewhere else. Chicago, Indianapolis, Cleveland and St. Louis
are big destinations. Officers also find hundreds of growing plants.
Illinois State Police officials say Madison County is their busiest area for
indoor and outdoor production statewide.

Officials say some police put greater emphasis on marijuana interdiction.
For example, the Missouri Highway Patrol's Troop D in Springfield, Mo., has
a reputation for being especially diligent along busy Interstate 44.

"It's not necessarily that more marijuana is passing through there than in
other places," Clark said. "I think it's because the officers in Troop D
have dedicated themselves to really cracking down and making seizures."

Troop C, including 11 counties around St. Louis, had one full-time officer
assigned just to taking tips and finding marijuana gardens.

St. Louis police made two large seizures at the end of February. Working
with other jurisdictions, they arrested a Mexican man Feb. 21 who they said
had 200 pounds of marijuana in his truck. He faces a trafficking charge. Two
days later, they found 800 pounds in an abandoned trailer parked on a
downtown street. They still don't know whose it was.

Police and the public realize that marijuana remains readily available.

"It's very easy. If I wanted to, I can go up to 10, 15 people I know who
could buy for me easily," said Roberta Gordon, 31, a student at the
University of Missouri at St. Louis.

About 75 percent of illicit drug users have smoked marijuana, according to a
2002 report by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Its report said
40 percent of all people 12 and older had used marijuana or hashish at least
once.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that men 18 to 25 are the most
active users.

The drug's effect remains the topic of much debate. Studies have reported
that smoking it impairs short-term memory, attention span, coordination,
balance, reaction time and other cognitive functions.

However, Chris Conrad, a court-qualified cannabis expert in Oakland, Calif.,
compares the mood-altering effects to having a glass of wine or playing soft
music. He rejects the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy's
notion that people driving under the influence of marijuana are more likely
to have crashes. "But the studies have shown that they do get lost more
often," he said.

"To me, marijuana is no more dangerous than alcohol," said Shad Menard, 29
another student at UMSL.

Officials acknowledge that despite their best efforts, marijuana trade not
only remains pervasive but lucrative.

Sgt. Kurt Eversman of the St. Clair County Sheriff's Department said,
"Because a lot of traffickers get involved in it with the sole purpose of
making money, an upscale person selling marijuana can do it for years and
not get caught."